Smith Happy With Rebound From Previous Year`s Issues

Transcription

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“For The Buckeye Fan Who Needs To Know More”
July 2012
By MARCUS HARTMAN
Buckeye Sports Bulletin Staff Writer
Urban Meyer’s spread offense has gained
plenty of attention since the coach was hired
in November, but he’s just the latest coach to
bring his own style of moving the football to
the Ohio State football program.
Even the legendary Woody Hayes made
changes when necessary during his 28-year
run, and others since have added their own
pieces to the Buckeye attack.
“Three yards and a cloud of dust” – the
offensive identity most often associated with
Ohio State for much of the past six decades
or so – can be traced to 1951.
That season Hayes became the 19th head
coach of the Buckeyes, bringing with him
the T-formation offense from a successful
stint as head coach at Miami (Ohio).
Though the formation was not entirely
new to Ohio State, the focus on it was. Hayes’
predecessor, Wes Fesler, ran a mixture of
the T and the single-wing offense, a dual
strategy that enjoyed increasing success
through Fesler’s four years at the helm at
his alma mater.
Fesler, a three-time All-America selection
as an end for the Buckeyes from 1928-30,
saw his first Ohio State team stumble to a
2-6-1 record in 1947 while scoring only 60
points, but that output was more than tripled
a year later as the Buckeyes improved to 6-3
while scoring 184 points.
In 1949, Ohio State scored 207 points as
quarterback Pandel Savic led the school to a
tie for the Big Ten championship and a berth
in the Rose Bowl, which the Buckeyes won
for the first time in school history with a 1714 triumph over California.
Savic told BSB the method of attack – single-wing or T – varied from game to game,
often depending on particular matchups with
the opponent.
“We could get in the T, and if I saw
something, we could shift into the single
wing then,” Savic said. “I would move over
from underneath the center and I’d go two
or three steps and then the ball could be
snapped back directly to the tailback or the
fullback. From there, we could run some
plays we called the buck-lateral series where
the fullback got the ball and he started to
come up, and I could spin and he would
hand me the ball and I could turn and throw
from there. It varied, and it was a pretty good
offense really overall.”
Fesler’s offense hit its peak a year later,
piling up 286 points with Vic Janowicz, a
junior from Elyria, Ohio, starring at halfback. A multitalented weapon, Janowicz
led the Big Ten in total offense (703 yards)
and scoring (48 points) during conference play and went on to win the Heisman
Trophy. He passed for 561 yards and ran
for 314 in the Buckeyes’ nine games, but
he would not reprise that performance as
a senior.
With Hayes installing his offense after
Fesler resigned under pressure at the conclusion of the 1950 season, Janowicz became
just another cog in the machine as a senior.
He led the team in rushing (376 yards),
but quarterback Tony Curcillo took over
the passing lead with 912 yards. Janowicz
touched the ball 138 times in ’51, 54 fewer
than the year before.
The switch proved to be a painful one
for the team as a whole. The Buckeyes’
offensive output slipped from 31.8 points per
game to a meager 12.1.
There would be better days ahead, of
course.
Keeping Up With The West
Hayes’ program did not need much time
to get established.
He won his first national championship
in 1954 with a team that averaged 24.9
points per game and added another three
years later with a 9-1 squad that piled up 267
points. His third national title team averaged
24.5 points per game while going undefeated
K
Time
&
Change...
Offensive Makeovers Not Unprecedented
JOSH WINSLOW
DIFFERENT LOOK – The Ohio State
offense under Urban Meyer will not
resemble recent versions.
(9-0-1) in 1961, but that season had a bitter
ending as a vote of the university’s Faculty
Council denied the Buckeyes a trip to the
Rose Bowl.
That sent Ohio State into a five-year Big
Ten title drought, but Hayes rallied to bring
in what would prove to be one of the best
classes of all time for 1967.
When the “Super Sophomores” became
eligible to play in ’68, Hayes gave them a
new weapon courtesy of newly hired assistant coach George Chaump, who suggested
Hayes supplement his venerable T with the
I-formation that was popping up around the
country, notably at USC.
Continued On Page 12
...Has
Surely
Shown
Smith Happy With Rebound
From Previous Year’s Issues
By JEFF SVOBODA
One year ago, it is safe to say the Ohio State
athletic department was in a state of flux and uncertainty as it went through what were the dog days of
summer in more ways than one.
Wildly popular and successful football head coach
Jim Tressel, perhaps the best mentor the program
had ever known, had resigned May 30 after admitting to NCAA violations. History-making quarterback
Terrelle Pryor chose to move on a few days later, and
the school was in the midst of preparing a response
to college sports’ ruling body while investigating
seemingly endless claims of wrongdoing ranging
from sweetheart car deals to rigged raffles.
Add all of it up and Ohio State’s name was being
battered across the country in media reports and
fan message board postings. As a result, many
thought the seat occupied by athletic director Gene
Smith was as hot as the summer temperatures.
One year later, then, it’s fair to say the athletic
program headed by Smith has made a major rebound.
After a tough football season – one that featured more
NCAA controversy and ended with a 6-7 record, the
program’s first below .500 since 1988 – the school
quickly hired two-time national championship coach
Urban Meyer, an Ohio native who brings a nearly spotless résumé and loads of enthusiasm to Columbus.
There was also the negativity of a one-year bowl
ban levied in December, but that decision brought
MATTHEW HAGER
to a close an NCAA investigation that at times
BETTER
TIMES
–
Ohio
State
athletic
director
appeared to threaten the very fabric of the Ohio
Gene Smith has more to smile about this
State athletic department.
Y
Vol. 31, No. 23
summer, a year after the football scandal
that ended the Jim Tressel era.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Tressel Could Recruit
I enjoyed your look at Jim Tressel’s potential legacy in your last issue of BSB (June,
2012).
One thing I’m not sure was really talked
about was Tressel’s ability as a recruiter. With
all the excitement over Urban Meyer’s early
and incredible success on the recruiting trail, I
don’t think Tressel gets enough credit for the
talent he brought in.
We need to wait and see how Meyer’s
recruiting compares because we have to
remember that Tressel was very selective in
who the Buckeyes recruited, generally only
offering players he thought would fit in with
his style and would have what it takes – on and
off the field – to last the full four or five years.
Comparing his recruiting with Meyer’s is comparing apples to oranges.
I always found it interesting that two of
the biggest names Tressel ever landed, musthaves for the Buckeye recruiting nuts, were
Maurice Clarett and Terrelle Pryor, two players who caused among the most problems for
Tressel. Does Meyer have any Claretts and
Pryors in his future? Time will tell.
Dennis Miller
Lake Orion, Mich.
Tressel Overkill
I had thought that people would finally be
over Jim Tressel by this summer, but then
I received the June issue of BSB. Not only
was there a cover story about the coach currently living in NCAA jail, there were multiple
columns that tried to make it seem like “The
Senator” was the best thing to happen to the
state of Ohio since sliced bread.
I’m not trying to dismiss anything the coach
accomplished. Even if the Big Ten was weaker
than usual and he won only one of three BCS
title games, his litany of Big Ten titles and wins
against Michigan are extremely impressive.
He was a great coach for Ohio State, no question about it.
However, the coach’s actions at the end of
his career – which he seemingly hoped would
bring him another national title to address the
complainers in Buckeye Nation – brought a
lot of negativity to the school. It’s hard to look
back at the good things he did when the end is
so much fresher in my mind.
More than that, it’s time to turn the page.
Urban Meyer is in charge now, and he seemingly has his sights set upon winning multiple national championships just like he did at
Florida. It’s high time to focus on what Meyer
brings to the table instead of looking back
at what happened with Tressel. I think the
Buckeyes can have a darn good team in 2012,
and I prefer to look forward to what might
happen rather than look back at that painful
chapter that has happened.
Harold McDonald
Stuebenville, Ohio
Happy For Simon
While most of us can’t wait until the start
of the football season, it is time to congratulate
John Simon on being named one of the team’s
captains.
I have a cousin who taught John at Cardinal
Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio.
She said he was as intense in class as on the
field. She also taught Bob Stoops, Mike Stoops
and Bo Pelini.
I’m hoping John will be a first-round pick.
Most NFL scouts would call him a “tweener”
– too light to be a defensive lineman and too
slow to be an inside linebacker. But John has
two qualities that can’t be coached – desire and
work ethic.
Chris Spielman was thought to be too slow
to be an NFL linebacker, but look what happened. John would be perfect in a 3-4 defense.
Bob Zachman
Waldorf, Md.
(Simon has not been officially named a
captain, but head coach Urban Meyer has intimated the defensive lineman will hold that role
in 2012. Ed.)
OSU Stays Strong
Am I the only one happy to see that Ohio
State has finished near the top of the Directors’
Cup standings yet again this year?
It seems to me like every time I get
BSB there’s an OSU team accomplishing
something fantastic. Ohio State’s athletic
department has been much maligned over
the past year and a half, but it’s obvious
that there’s something good happening in
Buckeye Nation.
Everyone loves it when the football and basketball programs win. With Urban Meyer and
Thad Matta in charge, they should continue
doing so. But the full strength of OSU’s athletic
department is nothing to sneeze at and should
bring pride to all of those in scarlet and gray
for years to come.
Jason Stevenson
Avon Lake, Ohio
If you would like to express an opinion
concerning Ohio State University sports, please
send your letter to BSB Letters, P.O. Box 12453,
Columbus, OH 43212, or email it to [email protected] for use in BSB. Letters must be
signed and include the writer’s hometown and
a daytime telephone number for verification.
Publication priority will be given to those letters
that are brief, and we reserve the right to edit
letters for publication.
WEEKLY POLL
Many weeks, BuckeyeSports.com
runs a poll for its readers to vote on. Go
to www.BuckeyeSports.com and visit
the Ask The Insiders forums to check
out the next poll. Results will be printed
in the next edition of BSB.
Are you satisfied with college
football’s new postseason?
Yes:
50.0 percent
No:
50.0 percent
Poll ran on July 1-2
“The more I look at this scenario, the more I
become frustrated with it. I find it ridiculous that if
BCS bowls will be used as the semifinals and finals,
Ohio State could end up as the No. 1 seed and end up
playing two southern teams in the South as a reward.
In my humble opinion, the semis should be held
on the campus of the higher-seeded team with the
championship held at a venue that is not in the region
of either team. Until I know more about the fairness
of venues, I will remain cynical that this did nothing
more to find a fair and valid way of determining a true
champion any more than the previous way did.”
– buckeyeram4
“Satisfied?
No.
Step in the right direction and happy to be getting
rid of the BCS?
Yes.”
– StugotsII
From The Pages Of BSB
30 Years Ago – 1982
A pair of players reportedly opted to leave the football
team in wide receiver Vic Langley and offensive lineman Joe
Apke.
Langley, a sophomore and former Philadelphia Phillies draft
pick, was said to be disenchanted with a lack of playing time
behind Cedric Anderson and considering a return to baseball.
Apke was also buried on the depth chart after redshirting as a
freshman in 1981.
Ohio State men’s basketball coach Eldon Miller expressed
happiness at the Big Ten’s decision to implement the threepoint shot but said he would like to see a 30-second shot clock
instituted as well.
“I don’t think (the three-pointer) is going to speed up the
game any because you still don’t have a time limit on the
shot,” he said.
National champion sprinter Butch Reynolds and national
champion diver Karen LaFace were named the respective Ohio
State male and female athletes of the year. Reynolds blazed
to victory in the 400-meter dash at both the NCAA national
championships and the USA-Mobil Outdoor Track and Field
Championships, while LaFace took home the three-meter title
at the NCAA meet.
Dennis Hopson became the fifth Buckeye cager to be
picked in the first round of the last eight NBA drafts when the
New Jersey Nets tabbed the reigning Big Ten most valuable
player with the third overall pick. Hopson followed No. 1 pick
David Robinson, a center from Navy who went to the San
Antonio Spurs, and UNLV forward Armen Gilliam, who went
to Phoenix.
Fran Fraschilla joined the OSU men’s basketball coaching
staff, coming over from Ohio University to replace Jim
Cleamons, whose contract was not renewed.
Basketball player Jimmy Jackson and volleyball star Leisa
Wissler were named the Ohio State male and female athletes
of the year. Jackson led the men’s basketball team to the
Elite Eight and consecutive Big Ten championships, while
Wissler led the OSU spikers to its first NCAA Final Four in
school history.
Reynolds’ bid to compete in the 400 meters at the 1992
Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, came to an end
2 • BUCKEYE SPORTS BULLETIN July 2012
when he finished fifth in the final of the event at the U.S. Olympic
trials in New Orleans. He was named an alternate to the 1,600meter relay team. The effort followed a successful appeal of a
two-year suspension levied by the IAAF for alleged steroid use.
Meanwhile, LaFace was able to earn a spot on the women’s
springboard team for the Barcelona Games.
National recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons ranked Ohio State’s
incoming class of freshman men’s basketball players consisting
of Lima, Ohio, guard Greg Simpson, Upper Arlington, Ohio,
forward Nate Wilbourne, Michigan City (Ind.) Elson forward
Charles “Killer” Macon and Louisville (Ky.) Doss guard Derek
Anderson No. 1 in the Big Ten and third nationally behind toprated Kentucky and Georgia.
Men’s gymnast Blaine Wilson, a winner three times over
at the most recent NCAA championship meet, won the Jesse
Owens Award as the Big Ten’s male athlete of the year.
Scoonie Penn, a key figure in the recent success of Boston
College and coach Jim O’Brien, was considering rejoining his
former coach as part of the Ohio State men’s basketball team
as of press time.
University president Dr. E. Gordon Gee announced he
would leave his post to take over the same position at Brown
after seven years at OSU.
Three non-revenue coaching positions opened when men’s
soccer coach Gary Avedikian resigned and director of athletics
Andy Geiger fired men’s lacrosse coach Paul Caldwell and
women’s swimming and diving coach Jim Montrella.
Many catching their first glimpse of incoming recruit Justin
Zwick, the most highly regarded schoolboy quarterback in
Ohio in more than two decades, left Columbus Crew Stadium
disappointed after the Massillon Washington grad completed
just 9 of 30 passes in the Ohio North-South All-Star Classic.
Zwick’s North squad rallied to win, 27-26, but it was behind
the play of Nate Szep, a Cleveland St. Ignatius grad not headed
to a Division I-A school.
“It didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I’m not going to dwell
on it too much,” Zwick said afterward. “It’s an all-star game.”
Legendary sports broadcaster Jack Buck died at the age of 77.
Though he made his name as the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals,
Buck got his start hosting a nightly talk show on WOSU while he
was a student at Ohio State in the late 1940s and early ’50s.
Gymnast Raj Bhavsar and softball star Anna Smith were
named Ohio State’s male and female athlete of the year,
respectively.
George W. Bush became the first sitting president of the
United States to speak at Ohio State spring commencement at
Ohio Stadium, and he and New York Yankees owner and OSU
athletics benefactor George Steinbrenner were each bestowed
an honorary degree.
Five Years Ago – 2007
The men’s basketball team had a banner night at the NBA
draft in New York as three Buckeyes were selected in the first
round.
First, to no one’s surprise, was center Greg Oden, whom
the Portland Trailblazers snagged with the No. 1 overall pick.
Point guard Mike Conley Jr., Oden’s high school teammate,
soon followed when Memphis tabbed him with the No. 4
selection, and the night was capped when guard Daequan
Cook heard his name called by the Philadelphia 76ers with the
21st pick. Soon after, he was traded to the Miami Heat.
The football team lost some depth on the defensive side
of the ball throughout the month of June as ends Walter
Dublin and Ryan Williams, tackle Juan Garnier and cornerback
Brandon Underwood all left the team.
Former OSU football players Anthony Gonzalez, Mike
Nugent, Antonio Smith and Stan White Jr. were among a
group of more than 80 Buckeye athletes to earn degrees at
spring commencement.
One Year Ago – 2011
With accusations of further NCAA violations arising,
quarterback Terrelle Pryor announced his decision to leave
Ohio State before his senior football season.
The move did not seem to shock the Buckeyes left behind.
“We lose many great players every year,” center Mike
Brewster said. “It’s just another thing. We lost him a little
earlier than we thought we were going to, but now it’s
someone else’s turn to step up.”
Head coach Luke Fickell told a national radio program he
had not talked to the quarterback before the decision was
announced.
“I was at the Taylor Swift concert, so I didn’t have a chance
to speak with him,” Fickell said, referring to the multiplatinum
country music star who played at Nationwide Arena in downtown
Columbus the night Pryor’s decision became public.
www.BuckeyeSports.com
OPINION
Postseason Change Does Not Solve All Problems
Vol. 31, No. 23
July 2012
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2011-12 PUBLICATION SCHEDULE (VOL. 31)
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Sept. 10
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December
No. 2
Sept. 17
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Jan. 14
No. 3
Sept. 24
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Jan. 28
No. 4
Oct. 1
No. 16
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No. 5
Oct. 8
No. 17
March 3
No. 6
Oct. 15
No. 18
March 17
No. 7
Oct. 29
No. 19
March 31
No. 8
Nov. 5
No. 20
April 14
No. 9
Nov. 12
No. 21
May
No. 10 Nov. 19
No. 22
June
No. 11 Nov. 26
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July
No. 12 Nov. 30
No. 24
August
The next issue (August cover date) will
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BSB email address is: [email protected]
The four-team playoff system announced
June 26 by college football really isn’t a playoff at all. In reality, it should be called “The
BCS Plus One.”
In case you haven’t been paying attention, beginning in 2014, the national championship at the Football Bowl Subdivision
– or whatever level they’re calling Division
I-A these days – will be determined by a
mini-tournament consisting of four teams.
It replaces the Bowl Championship Series,
which fans had come to hate, which was
a micro-mini-tournament consisting of two
teams. In other words, the new format simply expands the failed and much-maligned
BCS model by only two teams.
Nevertheless, university presidents are
sore from slapping themselves on the backs
after announcing this brave new endeavor.
“A four-team playoff doesn’t go too far,”
Virginia Tech president Charles Steger told
reporters. “It goes just the right amount.
We are very pleased with this new arrangement.”
Likewise, most of the fan sentiment
seemed optimistic that anything would be
preferable to the BCS. Unfortunately, this is
almost exactly like the BCS. You still don’t
have to win your conference or division to
qualify. Big-name, well-heeled conferences
will continue to receive favorable treatment,
and the selection process went from bad to
worse.
When the university presidents had the
chance to eliminate the human element
from the selection process, they proceeded to implement a process that relies 100
percent on the human element. No computerized rankings, no scientific polling,
just a bunch of conference commissioners,
athletic directors, former coaches and/or
media members coming self-equipped with
whatever personal bias they might harbor.
For argument’s sake, let’s say that some
season in the not too distant future, you
have a final regular-season poll that shows
undefeated LSU, USC, Ohio State and Boise
State in the top four spots with a once-beaten
(likely by LSU) Alabama in the No. 5 position. Does anyone truly believe a selection
committee would vote Boise State into the
four-team tournament over Alabama?
Perhaps you could make a strengthof-schedule argument against Boise State.
Remember, though, that the Broncos are
moving to the Big East in 2013.
If you don’t like the aforementioned
scenario, how about this one: Ohio State is
the only undefeated team at the end of the
regular season, but Alabama, LSU, USC,
Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma and Clemson
each have just one loss. Now what do you
do? I guess that would depend upon how
many selection committee members have
ties to those schools.
The obvious way to have gone – obvious
to everyone apparently except for those who
have foisted this latest farce upon us – was
to completely dismantle the BCS and go to
an eight-team playoff. Personally, I would
prefer at least a 16-team format – Division
I-AA is expanding its playoff system from 20
to 24 teams in 2013 – but I could have lived
with eight.
A major reason expanded formats are far
superior is that you are virtually assured of
getting the best teams into the playoff. With
only four teams in the mix – as everyone
found out with only two – there will be some
team with a legitimate beef nearly every
year that it has been left out of the mix. That
wouldn’t happen with an eight-team format.
Very rarely are you going to have a No.
9-ranked team in any final regular-season
poll that has a salient argument for why it
should have a chance to play for the national
championship.
Yet, BCS executive director Bill Hancock
had the audacity to describe the new fourteam format this way: “It’s an awesome day.
It’s a historic day. It’s a great day for college
football.”
EDITOR’S
NOTEBOOK
Mark Rea
It was so awesome and so historic that
the university presidents stuck us with the
new system through 2025. There will be no
trial period to tweak any unforeseen problems or discover if this thing works at all.
In essence, fans of college football received
the most watered-down playoff format possible under the guidelines college football’s
hierarchy set for itself – namely the continuation of unequal access, the retention of the
current bowl structure and total, tight-fisted
control.
In the end, the BCS is history. But the
BS remains.
No Happiness In Happy Valley
I have been thinking a lot lately about
Penn State football as it pertains to the child
sexual abuse scandal that put former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in prison for the
rest of his life.
Mostly, I can’t get out of my mind the
puzzled look on Sandusky’s face as he was
led away June 22 after being found guilty
on 45 of 48 counts that ranged from child
endangerment to involuntary deviate sexual
intercourse.
It seemed Sandusky truly thought he had
done nothing wrong. That is a sentiment
seemingly shared by a vast cross-section of
those inhabiting the tight-knit cocoon that is
State College. Penn State football will continue, of course, with new head coach Bill
O’Brien stepping into the shoes of the late
Joe Paterno, and Beaver Stadium will routinely attract crowds of more than 100,000
fans this fall.
But the lid has been blown off the dirty
little Sandusky secret, and with it has gone
the previously spotless reputation of Penn
State football.
Despite protestations from those either
unwilling or unable to think otherwise,
Paterno bore at least a modicum of responsibility for what happened. After all, Paterno
helped recruit Sandusky to play at Penn
State, kept him on as a graduate assistant
on his first staff in 1966 and then lured him
back to State College in 1969.
Now, emails have surfaced that appear
to indicate Paterno knew much more than
he admitted about the 2001 shower incident
involving Sandusky and a young boy.
Exactly how much Paterno knew will
always be a source of conjecture since the
legendary coach is no longer around to confirm or deny his culpability. What remains,
however, are Sandusky’s victims, who will
undoubtedly seek retribution from a university that apparently harbored a known child
sexual predator.
Additionally, if Penn State president
Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim
Curley did not alert the proper authorities
to the 2001 allegations against Sandusky
– and the recently uncovered emails indicate
precisely that – how could the NCAA view
their actions as anything less than lack of
institutional control?
I realize the NCAA never again wants
to implement the so-called death penalty
that left the SMU football program in ruins
from which it has never recovered. Yet, if
the NCAA is ever to use its nuclear option
again, now might be the time – for no other
reason than to set a precedent that this type
of behavior as well as attempting to cover
it up will not be tolerated by a civilized
society.
Finally, a word regarding the deplorable
circuslike atmosphere outside the Centre
County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., after
the Sandusky verdict was announced.
The case did not involve some game
with an outcome to be cheered. Yes, there
was some satisfaction that a serial child
sex abuser got what was coming to him.
But we should never lose sight of the fact
that several young lives have been forever
scarred and a once-noble institution will
undoubtedly buckle under the weight of
future litigation.
I don’t believe any of that to be a source
for celebration.
A Few Parting Shots
• I have never been a proponent of paying college athletes, but I’m beginning to
change my mind at least where football players are concerned. No one would argue that
football is the single largest moneymaker
for any athletic department with football
players among the most marketable faces
on campus. That said, and in light of the
increased revenue of the enlarged “playoff”
format, not to mention the ongoing studies
surrounding concussions, don’t these young
men deserve a little something extra?
• The NCAA said June 29 it would
reconsider scholarship reductions imposed
on the Boise State football program. The
university appealed the sanctions, arguing that the NCAA’s history of scholarship
reduction penalties was inconsistent with
penalties imposed in the Boise State case,
and the appeals committee agreed. In light
of that ruling, perhaps Ohio State should at
least explore the possibility of appealing the
football team’s postseason ban since that
penalty also seems inconsistent with penalties the NCAA has levied in similar cases.
• While we’re on the subject of NCAA
rules, how ludicrous is the one that allows
athletes to graduate from one school and
transfer to another with immediate eligibility? Wisconsin benefited from the rule
last year with quarterback Russell Wilson,
and the Badgers will do so again this year
with Wilson’s replacement, Danny O’Brien.
The best news of all for Wisconsin is that
O’Brien – formerly of Maryland and the
ACC Rookie of the Year in 2010 – has two
years of eligibility remaining.
• July 1 marked an important day on
the college football calendar – the first day
schools celebrated realignment and officially joined their new conferences. In case you
need a reminder, TCU and West Virginia
joined the Big 12, replacing Missouri and
Texas A&M, which each jumped to the SEC.
Temple will take West Virginia’s place while
returning to the Big East, TCU leaves the
Mountain West to be replaced by Nevada,
Fresno State and Hawaii, and Massachusetts
fills the MAC slot vacated by Temple. Who
fills the void created in the WAC by the
mass exodus of Nevada, Fresno State and
Hawaii? Texas State and Texas-San Antonio
– as if you really cared.
July 2012 BUCKEYE SPORTS BULLETIN • 3
OHIO STATE INSIDER
INSIDER
Surgery Sidelines Hall
For At Least Two Months
Ohio State looks likely to go into the regular season without one of its key playmakers
on offense because of a non-football injury.
Running back Jordan Hall, a senior from
Jeannette, Pa., tweeted June 30 that he had
successful surgery on his right foot, news the
university confirmed with an announcement
later in the day.
A school spokesman said Hall was walking
in grass outside his Columbus residence June
27 when he suffered a cut that required surgery at the school’s Wexner Medical Center.
“This is an unfortunate accident to a really
fine young man,” Ohio State head coach
Urban Meyer said. “He’s handling things well,
though. He’ll be in a non-weight bearing cast
for about six weeks and then he’ll rehabilitate
the injury for at least four weeks after that.”
The Buckeyes begin preseason camp during the first week of August, and a 10-week
♦
estimate would keep Hall out until the middle AD Staffer Chun
of September, in which case he could miss at Leaves Ohio State
least two games.
The Ohio State department of athletics
The blow could be a big one for the lost a member of its administrative team July
Buckeyes, who will be in their first year in 2 when Pat Chun was announced as the new
Meyer’s spread option offense.
director of athletics at Florida Atlantic.
Meyer listed Hall as his starting running
A 37-year-old native of Strongsville, Ohio,
back in a post-spring depth chart, and the and an Ohio State graduate, Chun began his
coach said the 5-9, 198-pounder could be used career in athletics as a member of the Ohio
in multiple roles, including slot receiver.
State athletics communications office in 1997.
Four scholarship tailbacks are left in He later became director of the Buckeye
his wake – junior Carlos Hyde, sophomore Club.
Rod Smith and freshmen Bri’onte Dunn
In 2005, Chun was named director of develand Warren Ball – but all of them are big- opment, where he took a leadership role in the
ger, power-oriented backs, unlike the shifty fundraising and completion of the $21 million
Hall.
football facility renovation and enhancement
Hyde, who was listed as the
project.
No. 2 back in the post-spring
He later was promoted to
depth chart, likely becomes the
assistant athletic director for
starter with Hall sidelined.
development. During this time,
Hall enters his senior seahis efforts helped ensure the
son with 817 career rushing
completion of three key capital
yards and five rushing touchprojects – a $5.1 million softball
downs along with 21 receptions
stadium project, a $3 million boatfor 202 yards and four more
house and a $3.3 million indoor
scores.
tennis facility.
The Buckeyes open the seaIn 2008, Chun was elevated
son Sept. 1 when they play host
into the role of deputy senior
to Miami (Ohio). That game as
associate athletic director. In
Jordan Hall
well as home contests against
this capacity, Chun managed and
Central Florida (Sept. 8) and California directed the external relations division and
(Sept. 15) will kick off at noon Eastern. had daily oversight of the development office.
The Big Ten Network will broadcast the
He concluded his career at OSU as the
game against the RedHawks while the executive associate athletic director for exterOSU and UCF game will be on ESPN2 nal relations, overseeing fundraising, ticketand ABC will carry the Cal game nation- ing, fan experience, multimedia rights and
ally.
more.
The school previously announced four
other start times: Nebraska (Oct. 6, 8 p.m., Queen City Could
ABC or ESPN/2), at Indiana (Oct. 13, 8 p.m., Host Spring Game
Ohio Stadium renovations will force Ohio
BTN), at Penn State (Oct. 27, 6 p.m., ABC
or ESPN/2) and Michigan (Nov. 24, Noon, State to hold the 2013 spring football game
elsewhere next April, and that destination
ABC). All times are Eastern.
could be in Cincinnati.
The school announced June 20 that it is
in discussions with the Cincinnati Bengals
and Hamilton County to play the April 13
contest between the Scarlet and the Gray at
Paul Brown Stadium on the banks of the Ohio
River.
The home of the Bengals holds 65,535
seats, far fewer than the announced crowd of
81,112 who attended the 2011 game but just
about even with the average of 61,349 since
the game moved back to Ohio Stadium in
2002. That followed the last major renovation
of the structure.
Beginning in December, coatings that
cover the concrete in the seating bowl will
be sand- and water-blasted away before being
replaced in the spring and summer.
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The concrete in the seating bowl dates
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back to the stadium’s opening in 1922 and
must be covered to protect it from the ele. . . . . . . 614/871-0440
ments. Many of the coverings, which usually
. . . . . . . 614/875-7000
last about a decade, are starting to wear off.
“It’s just a preservation method,” athlet. . . . . . . 614/539-1177
ics facilities director Don Patko told BSB in
April.
. . . . . . . 614/539-8944
Grove City
Where OSU fans
stay overnight!
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Grove City Visitors Bureau
800-539-0405
www.visitgrovecityoh.com
State Court Denies
Most ESPN Requests
June 19 was a day of celebration for Ohio
State officials as the school emerged largely
victorious in a lawsuit it faced from ESPN
regarding public records requests.
In a unanimous decision that followed
nearly a year of legal wrangling, the Ohio
Supreme Court ruled the university had acted
correctly in most cases of shielding records
the broadcast giant requested last year in the
wake of the extra benefits scandal that rocked
the Buckeye football program and led to the
end of Jim Tressel’s tenure as head coach.
In April 2011, ESPN asked for all correspondence to and from Tressel, director of
athletics Gene Smith, president Dr. E. Gordon
Gee and compliance director Doug Archie
that includes the keyword “Sarniak” during a
period of March 15, 2007, to the present.
When that request and several others were
denied, ESPN filed a lawsuit July 11.
Ted Sarniak is a businessman in Jeannette,
Pa., who has mentored former Ohio State
quarterback Terrelle Pryor, one of the players involved in the NCAA scandal. Tressel
forwarded to Sarniak emails he received from
a tipster about a federal investigation of tattoo parlor owner Ed Rife, who had become
acquainted with Pryor and other players and
was later found to have traded cash and services for Ohio State memorabilia and equipment.
Ohio State rejected ESPN’s request on the
grounds that public knowledge of Pryor’s relationship with Sarniak would make it impossible to guarantee the player’s privacy if the
correspondence were released even in redacted form. That, the school claimed, would
put it in jeopardy of violating the Federal
Education Rights Protection Act (FERPA) that
prohibits the release of students’ educational
records without consent. Schools in violation
of FERPA can lose federal funding.
The court validated this claim, agreeing
with Ohio State’s assertion those messages
qualify as education records and that they
should be protected.
“It’s a fairly broad interpretation and that’s
consistent with what the courts have held
before, and it’s also consistent with what’s
been Ohio State’s interpretation,” Ohio
Attorney General Mike DeWine, who helped
lead the university’s defense, told BSB.
Not everything the school withheld was
ruled safe, however, as the court found a
handful of records should be released after
the names of student-athletes, their parents
and others involved are redacted to remove
identifiable information.
These include an email chain between
Tressel, an athletics department official in
charge of compliance, attorneys and other
officials scheduling a meeting. The court’s
decision also identifies two letters from the
OSU athletic department to a player “concerning preferential treatment.”
Additionally, the court found some records
requested and not provided are protected by
state attorney-client privilege.
“The university provided ESPN with thousands of pages of records during the course of
our NCAA investigation, and as now affirmed
by a unanimous court, it acted responsibly
in responding to the many varied and broad
public record requests it received,” university
spokesman Jim Lynch said.
Lynch told BSB the NCAA had already
reviewed all documents involved in the case.
The court also rejected ESPN’s request
for Ohio State to cover its legal fees in the
case because the university complied with the
majority of the records requests.
DeWine called that a significant development.
“That’s a signal,” he said. “If they thought
Ohio State had really been stonewalling them,
I suspect they would have had them pay some
attorney fees.”
ESPN declined comment when reached
by BSB.
Manning Named Top
Big Ten Female Athlete
Two-time NCAA champion hurdler
Christina Manning became Ohio State’s third
winner of the Suzy Favor Award as the Big
Ten Female Athlete of the Year in June.
The Waldorf, Md., native rewrote the Ohio
State record book as a senior, claiming NCAA
national titles in the indoor 60-meter hurdles
and outdoor 100-meter hurdles. She also
OHIO STATE INSIDER
claimed All-America honors in the indoor 60meter dash and outdoor 4x100 relay.
She dominated both conference postseason meets, earning Big Ten Athlete of the
Year and Athlete of the Championships during the indoor season and capturing the
former honor again during the outdoor campaign. Manning combined for six titles at
those two meets, and OSU repeated as the
outdoor champion after earning its first such
crown in 2011.
She finished her career as an 11-time AllAmerican and 10-time Big Ten champion.
Manning set school records in the 60 dash
(7.23 seconds), 60 hurdles (7.91), 100 hurdles
(12.68) and 200 dash (23.43).
Previous Ohio State winners of the Favor
Award are Laura Davis (volleyball, 1995) and
Jessica Davenport (basketball, 2007).
On the men’s side, Ohio State named
fencer Zain Shaito its top male athlete. The
sophomore from Richardson, Texas, won the
NCAA title in the men’s foil event, helping
OSU to the NCAA team crown. He also
will represent Lebanon at the 2012 Summer
Olympic Games.
Michigan State basketball player Draymond
Green was the winner of the Jesse Owens Big
Ten Male Athlete of the Year award.
Mewhort, Stoneburner
Lose Scholarships
Arrests for minor offenses led to two Ohio
State football players having their scholarships revoked for the summer.
Meyer initially issued suspensions of indefinite length to Jake Stoneburner and Jack
Mewhort, expected starters at tight end and
left tackle, respectively, but the punishment
took more shape after the players’ legal situations were cleared up.
The players and a third man not affiliated
with the football program were arrested the
morning of June 2 after being observed by
police urinating in public in Shawnee Hills,
a Columbus suburb that becomes a hotspot
each year when the Memorial Tournament
golf event is held in nearby Dublin.
Police also alleged the three ran when
confronted by the authorities, and the players were suspended from team activities two
days later.
Meyer announced additional discipline late
on the evening of June 15.
“We are disappointed with the decisions
made recently by two of our football players,” Meyer said. “Jake Stoneburner and Jack
Mewhort will each be removed from athletic
scholarship beginning with the summer term,
and they will continue to be suspended from
team activities until stipulations are successfully met. They will have an opportunity to
return to the team in good standing following
the summer session.”
The academic period – Ohio State’s first
under a new semester system – began June
18 and BSB was able to confirm the players
were enrolled in classes and planning to pay
their own way.
They are not allowed to work out with
teammates during the summer, but they can
use team facilities on their own. Stoneburner,
a fifth-year senior, and Mewhort, a fourth-year
junior, will have the opportunity to return to
the team and their scholarships after the term
concludes.
The last day of classes is Aug. 3 with commencement scheduled for Aug. 12.
According to Delaware Municipal Court
records, the cases against the two players are closed and they must each pay
$299. They initially pleaded not guilty to
the original charges of obstructing official
business but have now changed their pleas
to guilty of a reduced charge of disorderly
conduct.
BSB’s Season Preview
Coming Out In August
This is the last print issue of Buckeye
Sports Bulletin until the big August Football
Preview issue, tentatively scheduled to be
mailed the week of Aug. 20.
However, BSB subscribers can keep
up on all the Buckeye action – including
the latest recruiting news, news from Big
Ten Media Days and reports from Urban
Meyer’s first fall football camp – with five
additional electronic issues between now
and the start of football season. Electronic
issues, free to all BSB print subscribers,
will be posted July 17, July 31, Aug. 7, Aug.
14 and Aug. 31.
In total, Buckeye Sports Bulletin publishes 36 electronic issues annually in addition to our regular print schedule.
Current Buckeye Sports Bulletin subscribers wishing to access our 36 additional
electronic issues who have not already
done so must email their name, address,
Three New Head
Coaches Hired
Ohio State went on a hiring spree in June
as the athletic department brought on new
coaches in synchronized swimming, men’s
track and field and softball.
The most recent move came June 29 when
Kelly Kovach Schoenly was named head coach
of the softball squad.
Schoenly, who will be the eighth coach in
program history, spent six seasons as head
coach at Miami (Ohio) and was the program’s
all-time winningest coach with 188 career
victories. She led the RedHawks to their first
MAC tournament title in 2009 before winning
it again in 2012, and the team made NCAA
tournament appearances each of those two
seasons.
Prior to her stint at Miami, Schoenly was
an assistant coach at Penn State for eight
seasons and an assistant at her alma mater,
Michigan, for three years.
During her collegiate pitching career as a
Wolverine, she earned first-team All-America
honors in 1995. A two-time Big Ten Pitcher of
the Year and three-time all-conference selection, Schoenly was a member of three Big Ten
championship teams.
Schoenly received her bachelor’s degree
in elementary education from Michigan in
December 1995 and a master’s degree in
elementary mathematics education from the
school in May 1998.
Schoenly’s hiring came three days after
Holly Vargo-Brown was tabbed to take over the
synchronized swimming program in the wake
of the retirement of Linda Lichter-Witter.
Vargo-Brown, a Toledo native who became
the third head coach in the program’s 36-year
history, began her coaching career at Ohio
State as an assistant coach in 1986. After a
brief hiatus following the 1990 season, she
returned as assistant coach in 1993.
During her tenure with the Buckeyes,
Vargo-Brown has coached 19 collegiate national championship teams as well as two U.S.
Senior championship squads. Vargo-Brown
also has been instrumental in leading various
members of the program to a total of 41 U.S.
event titles.
In 2004, Vargo-Brown served as the Ohio
State interim head coach while LichterWitter was assisting the U.S. Olympic Team
in Athens, Greece. During that campaign,
Vargo-Brown earned national coach of the
year honors upon leading the Scarlet and
Gray to their fifth consecutive collegiate title.
She also led Ohio State to a national runner-
phone number and preferred email address
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up finish in 2005 when Lichter-Witter was on
medical leave.
A Buckeye letter winner from 1981-84,
Vargo-Brown was an All-American in 1984
and a member of the 1982 and 1983 collegiate
championship teams.
Ohio State filled its vacancy for men’s track
and field head coach when Ed Beathea was
hired June 21.
He had served as OSU’s associate head
coach since 2006 and interim head coach
since the abrupt exit of former head coach
Robert Gary in April. Beathea becomes the
eighth head coach in program history and
will receive a five-year contract to lead the
Buckeyes.
Beathea led the Buckeyes to a fourth-place
finish at the Big Ten outdoor championships
this spring. A total of 21 athletes qualified for
the NCAA regional action with 10 advancing
to the NCAA championships and three earning All-America honors.
Beathea was named the Great Lakes
Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and again
in ’11 while primarily instructing Buckeye
sprinters, hurdlers and athletes competing in
the horizontal jumps.
Prior to joining the Buckeye coaching staff
in 2006, Beathea spent 10 seasons coaching
sprints and hurdles at Indiana, the last four
years as associate head coach.
Beathea graduated with a bachelor’s
degree from Ball State in 1992 and earned his
BSB 2012 Electronic
Issue Schedule
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master’s in sports administration while serving as a graduate assistant for the Cardinals
in 1994.
Football Center Transfers
To Conference School
Brian Bobek, a true freshman center for
the Ohio State football team last season, will
continue his career at Minnesota.
The 2011 four-star recruit confirmed his
decision to BSB after it became public June 16.
“Ohio State is a great place to be a studentathlete, and it is very difficult to leave a school
that I love,” Bobek said. “I will always be proud
of having lettered for and worn the uniform of
the Ohio State Buckeyes. I will greatly miss
my Buckeye teammates and the coaches that
positively contributed to my experience at
Ohio State. I wish them the very best.”
Ohio State granted his release without
restrictions on potential schools, but his
choice to remain in the Big Ten will cost him
a year of eligibility per a new conference rule
that went into effect this year. That replaced a
prior stipulation that prevented players from
transferring within the conference and receiving financial aid. He will be on scholarship for
the Golden Gophers but must sit out a year to
satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
Continued On Page 6
OHIO STATE INSIDER
Buckeyes Pace Spring/At-Large Academic All-Big Ten List
INSIDER
Continued From Page 5
Per NCAA records, Bobek played in five
games last season as the backup to four-year
starting center Mike Brewster.
It was widely believed the previous coaching staff viewed Bobek as the heir apparent
to Brewster, but Meyer’s staff elevated Corey
Linsley, a junior who played guard last season, and Jacoby Boren, a true freshman who
enrolled in January, ahead of him on the depth
chart.
Wexner Steps Down,
Replaced By Shumate
The Ohio State community received a jolt
June 8 when the school announced Leslie H.
Wexner’s resignation from the board of trustees, effective immediately.
Wexner, 74, was serving his third term on
the board and had eight years remaining at
the time of the move.
Ohio Governor John Kasich appointed
Alex Shumate, a Gahanna, Ohio, resident
who serves as the North America managing
partner of the international law firm Squire
Sanders, to serve
out the remainder
of Wexner’s term.
Shumate previously served two terms
on the board, the
second of which
ran out earlier this
year.
Wexner,
the
chair, president
and
CEO
of
Columbus-based
Les Wexner
Limited Brands,
was appointed to the board in 2005 and reappointed in 2011 for a new term to end in 2020.
He previously served on the board from 19881997, during which time he was chair from
1996-97. This past April, he completed a threeyear term as board chair.
At that time, Robert Schottenstein was
elected chair with Brian K. Hicks and John C.
“Jack” Fisher becoming vice chairs. All three
remain in those positions.
No reason was given for Wexner’s decision.
Wexner’s contributions have gone beyond
leadership, as he has made significant financial contributions totaling more than $100
million to the school in multiple areas, including the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and
Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
The university medical center was renamed
for him in February.
In 2007, the athletic department named
its newly renovated football complex after
Wexner thanks to a $5 million pledge from his
wife to begin the project.
Shumate previously served from 1989-98
including terms as chair from 1997-98 and vice
chair from 2011-2012.
Ohio State led the conference with 187 student-athletes placed
on the Academic All-Big Ten spring and at-large teams.
Among the Buckeyes who earned the honor was Maxwell
Stearns. A member of Ohio State’s NCAA championship fencing
team, Stearns was one of 19 of the 1,154 conference athletes honored to carry a 4.0 grade-point average.
Ohio State’s track and field teams had the most honorees, as
the men led all squads with 19 named to the list, while the women’s
team tied for fourth with 17. The men’s lacrosse and women’s rowing teams had 18 apiece, and the fencing team tied women’s track
with 17 selections.
To be eligible for an Academic All-Big Ten selection, a student-athlete must be a letter winner in at least his or her second
academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative GPA of
3.0 or higher.
A full list of Ohio State’s spring/at-large selections follows,
including name, class and major.
Baseball – Mike Carroll, Jr., marketing; David Corna, Sr.,
family resource management; David Fathalikhani, Sr., biology;
Paul Geuy, Sr., biology and human sexuality; Greg Greve, So.,
finance; Brad Hallberg, Sr., logistics management; Blake Hutton,
So., finance; Brad Hutton, Sr., consumer affairs; John Kuchno, Jr.,
political science; Tim Wetzel, So., human nutrition.
Men’s Fencing (At-Large) – Rhys Douglas, So., engineering; Samuel Hardwicke-Brown, So., textiles and clothing; Andrew
McDonald, So., business; Gavin Medley, So., engineering; Eric
Philippou, So., communications; Max Stearns, Jr., political science;
Daniel Tafoya, Jr., international studies; Dylan Walrond, Sr., economics.
Women’s Fencing (At-Large) – Isabella Bonello, Sr., psychology; Emily Cheng, Sr., English; Katarzyna Dabrowa, So., psychology; Tasha Domashovetz, Jr., psychology; Laura Gurnowski, So.,
engineering; Allison Henvick, Sr., international studies; Alison
Miller, Jr., psychology; Caroline Piasecka, So., international business; Margarita Tschomakova, Sr., international business.
Men’s Golf – Dan Charen, Gr., sports management; Logan
Jones, So., marketing; Gary Quinn, Jr., consumer and family financial services; Jamie Sindelar, Jr., economics; Matthew Turner, Jr.,
international business.
Women’s Golf – Susana Benavides, Jr., communications; Amy
Meier, Jr., human nutrition; Rachel Rohanna, Jr., agribusiness;
Vicky Villanueva, Sr., economics.
Men’s Hockey (At-Large) – Alex Carlson, Jr., actuarial science; Chris Crane, So., sport and leisure studies; Danny Dries, Sr.,
arts and sciences; Sean Duddy, Sr., finance; Cal Heeter, Sr., marketing; Paul Kirtland, Jr., marketing; Devon Krogh, Jr., finance; Alex
Lippincott, So., communications; Brandon Martell, Jr., biology; Jeff
Michael, Jr., accounting; Cory Schneider, Sr., marketing; Travis
Statchuk, So., family resource management; Alex Szczechura, So.,
family resource management.
Women’s Ice Hockey (At-Large) – Becky Allis, So., exercise
science; Brittany Carlson, Sr., psychology; Melissa Feste, Sr.,
consumer and family financial services; Tina Hollowell, Jr., consumer and family financial services; Chelsea Knapp, Jr., marketing;
Madison Marcotte, So., social work; Laura McIntosh, Sr., sport and
leisure studies; Paige Semenza, Jr., human development and family
science; Natalie Spooner, Sr., nutrition; Lisa Steffes, So., French;
Annie Svedin, So., psychology; Kim Theut, Sr., human development
and family science; Minttu Tuominen, Jr., human nutrition; Kelly
Wild, Sr., psychology.
Men’s Lacrosse (At-Large) – Dominique Alexander, Jr.,
physical education; Eddie Bambino, Sr., Spanish; Joe Bonanni, Sr.,
marketing; Mark Crawford, Jr., special education; Tyler Frederick,
So., finance; John Hardesty, So., human development and family science; Matt Kawamoto, Sr., logistics management; Nick Liddil, Jr.,
communications; Kevin Mack, Jr., physical education; Joe Meurer,
So., pre-business; Patrick Riffee, Jr., physical education; Logan
Schuss, Jr., physical education; Jake Sharick, So., communications;
Mike Smail, Sr., marketing; Brock Sorensen, Sr., communications;
Patrick Toohey, Jr., English; Dan Wertz, Jr., sport and leisure studies; Trey Wilkes, Jr., communications.
Women’s Lacrosse (At-Large) – Olivia Annalora, Sr., busiIn announcing Shumate’s replacing of
Wexner, Gee also welcomed two new appointees to the board.
Columbus-area entrepreneur/cookie
magnate Cheryl Krueger was appointed to
the board for a nine-year term ending in
May 2021 while Benjamin Reinke, a graduate student from Bowling Green in nuclear
engineering, will serve as a student member
of the board for a two-year term ending in
May 2014.
ness; Kelly Becker, So., exploration; Rachel Blue, Jr., molecular
genetics; Katie Chase, So., sport and leisure studies; Kirsten
Donahue, Sr., speech and hearing science; Cara Facchina, So.,
engineering; Tayler Kuzma, So., physical education; Alayna
Markwordt, Sr., human nutrition; Caylee Rafalko, Sr., human
nutrition; Kate Sullivan, So., consumer and family financial service;
Rachel Wiederkehr, Jr., nursing.
Pistol (At-Large) – Christina Heaton, Sr., biology; Kim Hullings,
So., accounting; A.J. Tourigny, So., political science.
Rifle (At-Large) – Jonathan Krabacher, Sr., international
studies; Nick Novello, Sr., engineering; Maxwell Snyderman, Jr.,
mathematics;
Rowing – Katherine Cook, So., psychology; Ulrike Denker,
Sr., business; Julie Dick, Jr., political science; Ashley Dzurnak, Sr.,
psychology; Lauren Eckles, So., communications; Allison Elber,
Jr., exercise science; Samantha Fowle, Jr., business; Ellen Heister,
Sr., art history; Claudia Herpertz, Sr., psychology; Cori Meinert,
Jr., animal sciences; Eelkje Miedema, So., animal sciences; Emily
Ralph, Sr., mechanical engineering; Claudia Schiwy, Sr., education
and human ecology; Kara Shropshire, Sr., hospitality management;
Kate Sweeney, Sr., political science; Katherine Tylinski, Jr., security and intelligence; Taylore Urban, So., human nutrition; Emily
Walsh, Sr., exercise science education.
Softball – Alicia Herron, Sr., speech and hearing; Kasie
Kelly, So., business marketing/communications; Brittany Mills,
Jr., economics; Alyson Mott, Jr., interior design; Audrey Plant, So.,
communications; Melissa Rennie, So., business marketing; Katie
Simonton, Sr., human development and family science.
Synchronized Swimming (At-Large) – Chelsea Aton, So.,
actuarial science; Alex Beckett, So., exploration; Tori Hawes, So.,
history; Lauren Nicholson, So., exercise science education; Lauren
Robinson, Sr., psychology; Lara Tutton, So., communications.
Men’s Tennis – Chase Buchanan, Sr., communications; Hunter
Callahan, So., undeclared; Peter Kobelt, Jr., consumer and family
financial services; Devin McCarthy, Sr., marketing; Kevin Metka,
So., engineering; Blaz Rola, So., consumer and family financial
services; Nelson Vick, Jr., biological sciences; Steven Williams, Sr.,
accounting.
Women’s Tennis – Kelsey Becker, So., marketing; Kara
Cecil, Jr., sport and leisure studies; Tiffany Dittmer, So., international business; Kelsey Haviland, Sr., international business; Noelle
Malley, So., health sciences; Gabby Steele, Jr., communications.
Men’s Track & Field – Derek Blevins, Jr., German; Tyler
Borton, So., mechanical engineering; Thomas Davis, Jr., consumer
and family financial services; Jake Edwards, Sr., economics; William
Gehring, Jr., accounting; Kurt Grove, So., finance; Scott Kinkley,
So., history; William Knickel, Sr., actuarial science; Cory Leslie, Jr.,
sport and leisure studies; Stephen MacDonald, Sr., criminology;
Cody Miller, Jr., human nutrition; Nathan Moore, So., mathematics; Jackson Neff, So., business; Michael Shibko, So., chemical
engineering; Korbin Smith, Jr., health sciences program; Kenneth
Stephens, Jr., consumer and family financial services; Daniel White,
Sr., marketing; Taylor Williams, Sr., electrical and computer engineering; Barron Witherspoon, Sr., communications.
Women’s Track & Field – Victoria Brink, Jr., English;
Jacqueline Dim, Sr., consumer and family financial services;
Kristen Esterheld, Sr., criminology; Bridget Jacobs, Sr., accounting; Jordan Jennewine, Sr., human nutrition; Mallory Kreider, So.,
human development and family science; Sarah Lowe, Sr., exercise
science education; Kelcey McKinney, Sr., psychology; Madison
McNary, Sr., journalism; Maggie Mullen, Sr., physical education;
Adenike Pedro, So., business; Emily Taylor, So., health sciences
program; Jewelisa Thompson, Sr., human development and family science; Alexandria Troester, So., biology; Meredith Wagner,
So., human nutrition; Ashley Woodruff, Jr., communications and
finance; Stephanie Zimmerman, So., finance.
Men’s Volleyball (At-Large) – Nick Gibson, Jr., health sciences; Peter Heinen, So., actuarial science; Shawn Herron, So., neuroscience; Derek Kues, Jr., exercise science; Grayson Overman,
Jr., communications; Coleman Palm, So., psychology; Michael
Piechowski, So., English; John Tholen, Sr., engineering.
– Matthew Hager
Football, Tennis, Volleyball
Receive APR Recognition
Five Ohio State teams checked in with
Academic Progress Rating scores in the top 10
percent of their respective sports: men’s and
women’s tennis, men’s and women’s volleyball
and football.
Four of those squads – all but football
– achieved perfect scores of 1,000, but
the guys from the gridiron had nothing
to be ashamed of. The football team’s
988 score ranked it fourth in Division
I-A, behind only No. 1 Northwestern
(995) and Duke and Boise State (both
989).
The men’s basketball team also turned in a
notable showing with a 962, up 51 points from
the 911 of three years ago that cost the team
two scholarships.
All 36 varsity teams posted new four-year
average scores representing an improvement
over last year.
OHIO STATE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Barker Reminds Meyer Of Former Utah Quarterback
By ARI WASSERMAN
Given Urban Meyer’s history working
with one of the most dynamic quarterback
talents in the history of college football, it
doesn’t take much to understand why he’s
typically the one spearheading Ohio State’s
efforts in the recruitment of that position.
Tim Tebow helped Meyer win two
national championships while at Florida in
addition to winning the Heisman Trophy
and building a legacy with the Gators that
won’t soon be forgotten. Forgive Meyer for
searching the country relentlessly trying
to find a quarterback to re-create similar
magic with the Buckeyes.
Perhaps that’s why the comparisons of
prospective quarterbacks to Tebow have
become quite regular, though in many
cases it is more of a stretch than a reality.
This time, Meyer has found one of his
top quarterback priorities in the 2014 class,
but the comparison to Tebow hasn’t been
used. In the case of Hebron (Ky.) Conner
quarterback Drew Barker, there’s a comparison that simply makes more sense.
“He just said I reminded him a lot of Alex
Smith on film, which is pretty cool because I
haven’t ever heard anyone being compared
to Alex Smith,” the 6-4, 205-pound prospect
told BSB. “It is just great that Coach Meyer
thinks I am like him, and obviously that
worked out well for both of them at Utah, so
if I went to (Ohio State) I am sure it would
work out there, too.”
The comparison to Smith may lack
the glamour to that of Tebow, especially
because the current New York Jet has
become one of the most polarizing figures
in all of professional sports.
But a quick look back at what Smith
accomplished at Utah reveals it is a very
flattering comparison. The No. 1 overall
pick in the 2005 NFL draft, Smith posted
a 20-2 record as a starter in college under
Meyer, capping off his career with a 35-7
win over Pittsburgh in that year’s Fiesta
Bowl. The Utes finished the season a perfect 12-0, though their status as a non-BCS
program hindered them from competing for
a national championship.
“We do a lot of similar things that Utah
did, so I have seen a ton of film on Alex
Smith,” Conner coach David Trosper told
BSB. “He does some of the things Alex
Smith does, and he has the size that is ideal
for what college coaches are looking for.”
Barker has yet to play a down as an
upperclassman, but his 6-4 height has
already grabbed the attention of coaches
leading some of the top programs in the
Midwest. Combine that with the aggressive
way in which he plays the game – even with
limited experience at the varsity level – and
there’s no confusion as to why the junior-tobe has already racked up scholarship offers
TOPSOIL
from Cincinnati, Illinois, Louisville, Purdue,
South Carolina and Western Kentucky.
In his first season on the varsity level
last year, Barker threw for 1,009 yards and
rushed for 1,371 more. At first glance, he
looks like a typical pro-style quarterback.
A closer look at his tape reveals something
completely different.
“I think that’s why I am getting a lot of
interest – I am pretty unique,” Barker said.
“I go to these camps and they think I am
a pro-style and then they watch my film
and they say, ‘Pro-style quarterbacks aren’t
throwing stiff-arms like that.’ I can pass and
throw, so I am not looking for just a spread
offense. I think I can play in a pro-style or
a spread or anything else. I wouldn’t say I
have one specific category.”
As of now, Barker would say he’s more
advanced as a rusher. In his final two
games of his sophomore season, however,
he threw for six touchdowns.
Barker said he felt like he was coming into his own toward the end of his
season, but both he and his coach recognize that improving on in-game reads and
understanding tendencies of defenses is his
primary area for improvement. If Barker
shows significant growth in that area to put
him on par with where he is as a runner,
Trosper said he’d feel comfortable allowing
Barker to call roughly 60 percent of the
team’s plays.
“One of the things that is so deceptive
about him is that he can make guys miss in
a small space,” Trosper said. “He can truck
you and he can make you miss and his
vision is so good. If you watch him in the
pocket and look at his footwork, he does a
lot of things with his feet that a lot of guys
can’t do with his drops. I think that’s what
makes him such a good runner. He’s not
a 4.3 40(-yard dash) guy, but he can make
people miss in small space. He’s very elusive for a big kid.
“But we did talk about his passing perspective in terms of reading and seeing
things. That’s where he needs to take the
next step. He understands that and he is
going to work at it. Being a sophomore, it is
kind of hard to do those things. I think now
he’s ready to take that challenge.”
Still hoping to earn the elusive scholarship offer from Ohio State, Barker returned
to Columbus in June to partake in camps
the program hosted at the Woody Hayes
Athletic Center. Despite already visiting the
Buckeyes multiple times – including an indepth visit during Ohio State’s spring game
– Barker found it important to throw for the
staff while continuing to hone his skills.
After working out in the camp and posting a solid performance, Barker spoke with
Meyer, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
coach Tom Herman and cornerbacks coach
Kerry Coombs. During his conversations
with the staff, Barker was reassured that he
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Get To Know: Drew Barker
High School – Hebron (Ky.) Conner
Position – Quarterback
Height, Weight – 6-4, 205 pounds
Rankings – Given that Barker is a 2014 prospect, Scout.com has yet to rank him or assign
a star count. Scout.com Midwest recruiting
analyst Allen Trieu indicated to BSB that Barker
will have a very good shot at being a four-star
recruit when the initial 2014 ratings are completed.
Drew Barker
Player Evaluation – “He’s exactly the kind
of quarterback a lot of schools are looking for because a lot of
programs are going to a spread look. He plays in a spread in high
school, he throws the ball a lot and he also can make plays with
his feet. He also has all of the intangibles to be successful in the
next level other than what you would expect with just physical
traits.” – Trieu
Strengths – “The mobility. He has the ability to make plays
on the run even though he’s a pass-first quarterback. He’s not a
runner, necessarily, but he can get out of the pocket, escape pressure and use his feet to make plays when things break down.”
– Trieu
Weaknesses – “At a couple of the camps we’ve seen him at,
we’d like to see more consistency. There have been times where
he’s looked very good for long periods of time and others where
he wasn’t on top of his game. We want to see him put it all
together. He has a good arm, but I think he can continue to add
velocity to his passes as well.” – Trieu
hasn’t been offered because the staff hasn’t
gotten to the point where they feel comfortable offering 2014 quarterbacks. That time
could come toward the end of summer or
in the fall.
“When I call them they’re always going
to try to get Coach Meyer on the phone,”
Barker said. “I really like what I heard from
them, and Coach Meyer told me that I did
great at the camp. We also talked about life
stuff and growing our relationship.”
Barker is still in the early portions of his
recruitment and hasn’t sorted out schools
that have stood out early. However, he did
isolate Ohio State as a program that could
really make an impression if the Buckeyes
come through with an offer.
“It would be awesome to receive an offer
from Ohio State, one of the greatest football
traditions of all time,” he said. “With Coach
Meyer there and my mom went there, it
would just be awesome. I wouldn’t say they
would jump immediately to the top or anything, but it would definitely be an honor
just to receive a scholarship offer and them
saying I am good enough to be the quarterback at The Ohio State University. That
would be a really big accomplishment.”
Barker anticipates making his college
decision during his junior year, so time
could be of the essence if Ohio State wants
to become a real factor in his recruitment.
Though the quarterback is in no hurry to
rush along the process, he already feels
like he’s in a fortunate enough spot to begin
thinking critically of the opportunities he
has garnered.
Trosper, who has more than a decade
of experience coaching at the collegiate
level including nine years at Division I-AA
Morehead State, will help Barker and his
family navigate what will likely become
an intensified process in the next few
month.
“If you would have asked me last year at
this time if I would already have six offers
before my junior season, I would have been
like, ‘Yeah right,’ ” Barker said. “It is a very
big accomplishment, but I have to remember to keep working hard.
“I am using it as motivation to keep
working harder because there is always
someone out there working harder than
you. I just have to keep it up, and it is
definitely awesome that I am getting this
recognition. I am very blessed.”
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Ohio State Adds Trio Of 2013 Verbal Commits
Ari Wasserman
The most recent commitment was Hill’s,
as his pledge to the Buckeyes on June
27 gave the program yet another highly
regarded defensive lineman to add to what
has already been an impressive haul at that
position during the last few years.
Hill, a four-star prospect rated by Scout.
com as the top player in his state and
the No. 14 defensive tackle in the nation,
chose the Buckeyes over such programs as
Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech,
South Carolina and Tennessee.
Despite playing for a high school that is
roughly five minutes from Clemson’s campus, Hill ultimately chose the program he
has been rooting for since 2006 and the days
of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback
Troy Smith.
“That’s the world of ESPN – they’ve
always been his favorite team to watch on
TV since the time he was a 300-pound
ninth grader,” Pendleton head coach Paul
Sutherland told BSB. “He would always tell
you that Ohio State was his favorite team to
watch. With Coach Meyer coming in, that
just validated that.”
At 6-2, 315 pounds, Hill figures to be a
solid middle-of-the-line guy for Ohio State
for years to come. He joins fellow tackle Billy
Price of Austintown (Ohio) Fitch in a class
that also features five-star defensive end Joey
Bosa (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and three-star
end Tracy Sprinkle (Elyria, Ohio).
Ohio State always seemed to lead the
way for Hill, though many didn’t expect the
Buckeyes to pull such a talented defensive
tackle out of the southern part of the country. Given that Southeastern Conference
coaches tend to favor athletic defensive tackles who sport the same attributes that Hill
does, Meyer had his work cut out for him.
Sutherland, however, gives a lot of credit
to Ohio State defensive line coach Mike
Vrabel for the recruitment of Hill, who had
recently taken visits to Alabama, LSU and
Florida before issuing his commitment.
“I told him, ‘Son, you’re going to Clemson
and South Carolina – that’s my obligation –
and then I’ll get you anywhere else you want
to go,’ and he wanted to go to Ohio State so
I contacted them, “ Sutherland said. “Then
I took him to Columbus and he had a great
trip up there and felt very much at home,
especially with Coach Vrabel. He deserves a
lot of credit as his position coach. It was just
a gut feeling that he stuck with.”
Hill posted 25 tackles for loss last year,
which is production Sutherland said he’s
never had from someone at his tackle position. Hill, who runs a five-second 40-yard
dash, is an immovable force who is very light
on his feet despite his size.
The string of defensive linemen signed
SCOUT.COM
SCOUT.COM
RECRUITING
OUTLOOK
by Meyer in his time at Ohio State has means a lot to me, and the same for Coach
been unparalleled by any other program in Withers and Coach (Kerry) Coombs because
the country. Now with the addition of Hill, they were on my side as well. Obviously, I
Sutherland understands exactly what Meyer would run through a wall for this coaching
staff for giving me this opportunity.
is aiming to do.
“I’m excited to play for
“Coach Meyer’s exact words
Coach Meyer, and he told me
when I called him were, ‘Hot
he was going to take the word
dog, I just got an SEC defensive
of his coaches. It’s rewardlineman up here in the Big Ten,’ ”
ing to play for a staff that is
Sutherland said. “You don’t have
upfront and honest with you
to convince everyone in this part
and I feel blessed.”
of the country that the defensive
Though Lee projects at
line is where the game is won
multiple positions – he could
and lost.
end up at safety, linebacker,
“The Big Ten gets tired of
wide receiver or quarterback
hearing this, but that’s the one
– there were no discussions
area where the SEC separates
with the staff about where
itself. Coach Vrabel and Coach
Johnny Townsend
they envision him playing
(Everett Withers) told me this:
‘That’s what an SEC defensive lineman looks when he gets to Ohio State.
Lee told BSB that he loves playing on
like.’ Ohio State is building that kind of
defensive front right now with all those the offensive side of the ball because he
feels like he makes the most
kids.”
impact with the ball in his
The recruitment of Lee was
hands, but he’s more than
quite different given the fact the
content working where the
athlete plays his high school footstaff feels he’s most likely to
ball less than 20 minutes from
make a difference.
Ohio State’s campus. A player
“We didn’t really talk about
regarded by most experts as a
position and it doesn’t matter
fringe prospect when it came
to me,” Lee admitted. “After
to garnering an offer from the
camp, we talked about playing
Buckeyes, Lee had to earn the
linebacker, safety or possibly
coveted scholarship before issuat the nickel back position.
ing a commitment.
We have to wait and see when
Lee is rated a three-star prosDarron Lee
I get there, and we will figure
pect and the No. 59 safety in the
country, but he starred at quarterback for that out. Coach Fickell said he would find
New Albany last season. While participat- me a home.”
The commitment that got the ball rolling in multiple camps at Ohio State during
ing for Ohio State was
the month of June, Lee turned
Townsend’s, as the punter
in solid performances for the
issued his pledge June 19
program’s coaching staff on both
after growing up in Florida
sides of the ball.
rooting for Meyer while he
“I got the offer a short
was coaching the Gators.
while ago when I spoke to
While attending a camp
Coach (Luke) Fickell,” Lee told
at Ohio State in mid-June,
BuckeyeSports.com recruiting
Townsend saw all he needed
analyst Bill Greene shortly after
to before electing to play his
issuing his commitment June 26.
collegiate career as a Buckeye
“He told me they were offering
under Meyer.
me a scholarship, and I couldn’t
“I had been talking to Ohio
believe it. Before I could even
Michael Hill
State a little bit,” Townsend
commit, Coach Fickell made me
call my mom and my head coach to tell them said. “I went to their camp and did extremely
well and they told me to stay in touch. Then
the news.
“Once I called the both of them, I was my dad and I called Coach Meyer (the mornback on the phone with Coach Fickell, and I ing of June 19) and I immediately accepted. I
told him I wanted to be a Buckeye. My mom had to take him up on that.”
Current Ohio State punter Ben Buchanan
and I had discussed this earlier, and the plan
was always to take the offer if it came. There will enter his senior season with the Buckeyes
was no reason to wait and think it over. This this year, so Townsend could find an immeis my dream come true. My mom and I knew diate path to the field as a freshman. Not
they had limited spots, and getting a scholar- nervous at all about the climate differences
between Ohio and Florida, Townsend said
ship would be tough.”
Despite earning offers from Boston he was happy to begin focusing on preparing
College, Cincinnati, Illinois, North Carolina for the collegiate level.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Townsend
State, Purdue and others, Lee committed
himself to working diligently to earn an offer said. “The tradition is one of the best in the
nation. The fan base is absolutely incredible.
from the Buckeyes.
Though Lee grew up in Tennessee and They’re a highly respected school. I look forhas been living in the Columbus area for less ward to being a Buckeye and coming in and
than five years – his mother, Candice, is a developing my form to the highest level.”
Scout.com has ranked only five punters
news anchor for NBC4 in Columbus and previously held a job at a station in Chattanooga in the class of 2013, and Townsend is not
– he found a strong connection to the in-state among that limited group.
program. Fickell saw Lee’s passion during
his camp performances and knew he had OSU Hosts Prospects
In June Camps
what it takes to be a Buckeye.
Like many top collegiate programs, Ohio
“A big shout out to Coach Fickell from
me,” Lee said. “He really went to the wall State hosts instructional football camps for
for me to get offered, and he told me he was prep players looking to hone their skills
going to fight for me to be a Buckeye. He during the summer months. Also used as
SCOUT.COM
Urban Meyer’s dominance on the recruiting trail seemed to take a bit of a hiatus
during spring, as Ohio State went nearly two
months without picking up a verbal commitment in the 2013 class.
Meyer made up for the drought when
he secured pledges from three players during the month of June in punter Johnny
Townsend of Orlando (Fla.) Boone, athlete
Darron Lee of New Albany, Ohio, and defensive tackle Michael Hill of Pendleton, S.C.
a recruiting tool, the two senior advanced
camps and a high-level underclassman camp
hosted by the Buckeyes in the month of
June gave the staff the opportunity to work
and interact with many of the nation’s top
prospects.
Following are updates on prospects who
made it to Columbus during June with details
on their performances and communication
with Ohio State’s coaching staff.
• 2014 QB Kyle Allen, Scottsdale
(Ariz.) Desert Mountain – One of the
emerging quarterback prospects in the country in his class, the 6-2, 195-pounder used his
camp experience to become more comfortable with the OSU coaching staff, including
offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach
Tom Herman.
“We landed in town around 4:30 and met
with Coach Herman,” he said. “He showed
us around the facilities and stuff. After that,
we went to dinner with him and talked football for a while. The next day, I woke up and
went to camp. Before camp, we went in and
talked to Coach Meyer and Coach Herman
for a while. We talked to Coach Meyer again
after camp and then went and saw campus.”
After the camp Allen spoke to Meyer, and
the OSU head coach approved of his performance but indicated he wasn’t ready to issue
2014 offers to quarterbacks. Allen, however,
left Columbus impressed.
“I loved OSU,” Allen said. “I loved the
coaches up there. I love Coach Meyer. He’s a
great guy, and Coach Herman is a great guy
too. I loved the campus. They have a really
nice campus up there.”
• 2013 CB Adrian Baker, Hollywood
(Fla.) Chaminade Madonna – Baker
has racked up an impressive scholarship
offer list, but he still is hoping for one from
Ohio State after participating in camp in
Columbus.
Baker, a three-star prospect, recently
released a top five that consisted of Ohio
State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Vanderbilt and
Florida State, but he doesn’t yet have a committable offer from the Buckeyes.
“I went to Ohio State’s camp and it was
good,” Baker said. “I spent a lot of time with
the coaches. I went to compete and thought
I did pretty well. They’re having a staff meeting (soon) so I’m waiting to see if they’re
going to offer me.”
Sources close to BSB indicate that Baker
would be a likely commit if Ohio State comes
through with an offer, but the coaching staff
is still in the process of figuring out the
numbers game before making that decision. Baker (6-1, 165) has scholarship offers
from each school in his top five except Ohio
State.
“I’m just going to relax, wait to hear from
Ohio State then get better over the summer
and help lead my team to a state championship,” Baker said.
• 2013 S Vonn Bell, Rossville (Ga.)
Ridgeland – Given that Bell is universally
regarded as one of the top safeties in the
2013 class, it wasn’t a surprise that the fivestar prospect was perhaps the top performer
of any Ohio State camper this summer.
Rated the No. 3 player at his position in
the class, Bell played both sides of the ball
in front of the OSU coaching staff and came
away more than comfortable with the plays
he made.
“I thought I did pretty well,” Bell told
BSB. “I had two interceptions. I wasn’t going
to let anyone score on me. I got on the offensive side of the ball, too, and I scored two
touchdowns. I had a lot of fun out there.”
OSU Football Verbal Commitments
Players in the class of 2013 who have issued verbal commitments to play football at Ohio State.
Player
Pos. Ht. Wt. Stars
High School
J.T. Barrett
Marcus Baugh
Joey Bosa
Cameron Burrows
Ezekiel Elliott
Michael Hill
Darron Lee
Evan Lisle
Jalin Marshall
Billy Price
Tracy Sprinkle
Jayme Thompson
Johnny Townsend
Eli Woodard
QB
TE
DE
CB
RB
DT
ATH
OT
RB
DT
DE
S
P
CB
6-2
6-4
6-5
6-2
6-0
6-2
6-2
6-6
6-1
6-4
6-4
6-2
6-2
6-0½
205
230
270
195
195
315
205
275
190
265
250
185
200
180
A 6-1, 190-pound prospect, Bell has
emerged as one of the most sought-after
recruits in the nation. With scholarship offers
from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia,
Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas and many
others, he certainly has his options open
when selecting where he’ll play college football.
Bell had already visited Ohio State in
the last few months and had an offer in
hand before attending the camp. Because
he made the effort to make the second trip
to Columbus to see Meyer and Withers,
one could infer that he has serious interest
in the Buckeyes. Bell recently trimmed his
list of more than 30 scholarship offers to
just Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Texas,
Vanderbilt, Clemson and Ohio State.
“It was a good experience going through
the camps and meeting the other prospects
and everything,” Bell said. “It was a nice
experience visiting with Coach Meyer again
and Coach Withers.”
Bell doesn’t anticipate participating in
other camps this summer and returned to
Georgia with a lot to think about after having
conversations with Meyer and Withers.
“It was more about football than anything,” Bell said of his interaction with the
OSU coaches. “It was about business and
what side of the football I want to play – if I
want to be on offense or defense. I really just
want to play safety and stick to one side of
the ball and make some plays. Coach Urban
Meyer said he wants me to play a little bit
on offense, but we’re going to see what happens.”
• 2014 QB Reggie Bonnafon,
Louisville (Ky.) Trinity – The 6-1, 175pound dual-threat quarterback has already
earned a Big Ten offer from Illinois and one
from Louisville, but Bonnafon is hoping the
camp trail will produce more opportunities.
“Ohio State went really well,” he said. “I
had a great day. I threw the ball very well
and the coaches were impressed with my
testing numbers, too.”
Bonnafon ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash
while at the camp, and the Ohio State coaches promised the prospect that they’d be in
touch.
• 2013 CB Caleb Day, Hilliard (Ohio)
Darby – A three-star prospect already boasting offers from Purdue and Illinois, Day
arrived at OSU’s June 10 camp hoping to
grease the wheels on receiving a Buckeye
offer.
Day, who had an offer on the table from
the previous coaching staff, felt as if his
performance was good enough to warrant
further evaluation from the current staff,
especially because he worked out at wide
receiver to show his versatility.
“I really wanted to work out at receiver
this time to show that I’m diverse and that
I have different skills,” Day told BSB. “I
thought I did better at receiver because I
NR
Wichita Falls (Texas) Rider
Riverside (Calif.) John W. North
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas
Trotwood (Ohio) Madison
St. Louis (Mo.) John Burroughs
Pendleton, S.C.
New Albany, Ohio
Centerville, Ohio
Middletown, Ohio
Austintown (Ohio) Fitch
Elyria, Ohio
Toledo Central Catholic
Orlando (Fla.) Boone
Voorhees (N.J.) Eastern
caught more passes. I didn’t really work with
the DBs as much.”
It appears Day didn’t get the answer he
wanted, though, as the 6-1, 185-pounder
committed to Illinois on June 21.
• 2014 QB Joey Duckworth,
Louisville, Ohio – With plenty of quarterbacks in his class hoping to earn a scholarship from Ohio State, the 6-3, 195-pound
in-state signal caller worked himself into
consideration after participating in camp.
“I always have expectations for myself,
and I always think I can do better, but I
thought I did pretty well,” Duckworth said
of performance. “It was great speaking to
Urban Meyer, and he offered some instruction on throwing the football. They worked
with me on my drop and stressed how to
keep my feet, and I appreciated the advice.”
Duckworth had stellar camp performances at Toledo and Bowling Green this summer, both of which led to offers from the
host schools after the camp. With similar
performances heading into his junior season,
Duckworth could continue to move up as
one of the most sought-after quarterbacks
in his class.
• 2014 OT Jamarco Jones, Chicago
De La Salle – Jones participated at Ohio
State’s June 10 camp, and the coaching staff
offered him a scholarship. Jones (6-5, 285)
is widely considered to be one of the best
offensive line prospects in the 2014 class,
and Scout.com recruiting analyst Allen Trieu
believes Jones could be a four- or five-star
recruit when his initial ratings are released.
“I’m pretty excited,” Jones said when
describing his new Buckeye offer. “They
were pretty intense and energetic and
showed a lot of passion for what they do, and
the campus was great. I really liked it a lot.”
• 2013 OT Kyle Meadows, West
Chester (Ohio) Lakota West – Meadows
already has three schools that have stood out
in his recruitment, but things could change
quickly if Ohio State becomes a serious factor.
The performance the 6-6, 275-pound lineman put on at Ohio State’s camp could force
the Buckeyes’ staff to become seriously
involved quicker.
“They basically said I was the best offensive lineman there, but they have to talk and
see how the evaluation goes and that they’ll
call me soon,” Meadows told BSB shortly
after his performance.
The three-star offensive lineman favors
Illinois, Indiana and West Virginia, but
things could change if the Buckeyes issue
him a scholarship.
“If I get an Ohio State offer then I will
probably turn some things around,” he said.
“If I don’t get an Ohio State offer, my three
would still be Indiana, Illinois and West
Virginia, but if they come in I’ll probably
eliminate one of the other three first.”
2012 BSB Quickly Schedule
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Dec. 4
Prospects Descend On Ohio State For Camps
• 2013 DE Tyquan Lewis, Tarboro,
N.C. – When Lewis stepped onto the field
at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on June
10, he knew he had something to play for.
OSU had already expressed interest in him,
but the three-star defender knew he had
to perform well enough to leave a lasting
impression on the Buckeyes staff. He was
successful in doing so, as he left Columbus
with a committable offer from Ohio State.
“It was non-committable before,” Lewis
told BSB when describing the offer he had
from the Buckeyes heading into the weekend, “but today (they gave me committable
one). It means a lot. I have to get my mom
back up here and we are going to sit down
and discuss this and talk academics and
things like that and see how everything is.”
Rated by Scout as the No. 61 defensive end in the country, the 6-4, 220-pound
prospect has seen his recruitment take off
in recent weeks. With offers from Auburn,
Clemson, Kentucky, North Carolina, N.C.
State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Virginia
Tech and others already to his name, Lewis
feels the most recent offer from Ohio State
is just more verification that he is one of the
most coveted defenders in the nation.
Lewis recently named a top five consisting
of Ohio State, LSU, Ole Miss, North Carolina
and Vanderbilt. Right after his performance
in Columbus, Lewis wasn’t bashful about the
impression the Buckeyes made.
“When they first came at me I knew with
the new program and Coach Meyer coming
in, it is just going to be amazing,” Lewis
said. “I expect to win. I won three years in a
row (in high school) and I am going for my
fourth, and if I come here, if that’s the case, I
expect to come and win. I just want to win.
“Ohio State is up there pretty high now.
I loved it. It was a great visit. I don’t want
to make a decision based on a place I’ve
never been, so that was another reason that
I came up here. The facilities are top-notch.
Everything is nice here. It was probably one
of the best visits I’ve taken.”
• 2013 C Lovell Peterson, Huber
Heights (Ohio) Wayne – The 6-3½, 270pound prospect has been thought to be on
the fringe of an Ohio State scholarship for
months, but he has yet to secure the coveted
offer. However, recent camp performances
could put the three-star player over the
edge.
“I think it was an overall good day,”
Peterson told BSB when describing his
camp performance. “I felt I excelled during
one-on-one drills, and the coaches seemed
happy with my performance.”
Given Peterson’s prowess as a track star
in throwing events, some have wondered if
football is a top priority for him. Peterson,
however, has made it clear that football is
what he’s focused on, which could have been
the last step toward moving into the good
graces of the Ohio State coaching staff.
“The Ohio State coaches said they still
have one or two offers to give out along the
offensive line,” said Peterson, who said he’d
like to play college football with his former
Wayne teammate, current OSU quarterback
Braxton Miller. “Hopefully I’ll be one of
those.”
• 2014 RB Devine Redding, Mineral
Ridge, Ohio – After rushing for more than
1,000 yards as a sophomore, Redding has
taken to the camp trail this summer to try to
earn some attention from college programs.
Redding (5-10, 190) has garnered one
A Look Back At Recruiting From The Pages Of BSB
There was no word on the eligibility status
of football signees Dan Colson, Eric Moss or
Eric Starks as BSB went to press. All three
players reportedly took the ACT on June 13 in
a final attempt to attain freshman eligibility.
For the class of high school seniors-tobe, four Ohioans were named preseason
All-Americans by SuperPrep: Norwood
running back Marc Edwards, Mentor Lake
Catholic wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, Massillon
defensive back Dan Hackenbracht and St.
Mary’s Memorial athlete star Mike Elston.
“He committed without talking it over with
his parents,” the elder Clements told BSB. “It’s
an honor for him to have a scholarship offered
to him and I think he’s firm about wanting to
go there, but this isn’t something we want him
to rush into.”
There were reports that two Ohioans
had committed to become Buckeyes while
attending Ohio State’s summer football camp,
but either that was not the case or both
rethought those decisions upon returning
home.
Tony Fisher, a running back from Euclid,
told OSU head coach John Cooper he was
very interested in attending Ohio State but he
would hold off on a decision until he could
visit some of his other suitors, a list including
Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame.
Nate Clements, a defensive back from
Shaker Heights, went a step further and
apparently actually issued a commitment while
at the camp but was told by his father, Nate
Sr., to rescind the gesture.
With a 24-team passing tournament and
four camp sessions, almost 3,000 kids attended
the Ohio State summer football camps. That
group included one player who offered a
verbal commitment during the proceedings
– North Canton (Ohio) Hoover defensive back
Curt Lukens.
Meanwhile, two members of the class
of 2002 remained in academic limbo. Both
North Carolina offensive tackle Derek Morris
and Cleveland wide receiver/quarterback
Troy Smith graduated from high school with
acceptable grade-point averages, but both
also continued to attempt to achieve high
enough standardized test scores to become
full qualifiers as freshmen.
Morris missed a chance to retake the
ACT in June as his family was in the process
of moving to Columbus, but he planned to
petition the NCAA for a chance to retake the
test in July.
Smith retook the test in early June and
was awaiting his test score as of press
time.
scholarship offer from Indiana and could
be on the verge of a hectic recruiting process if his successes carry over into his
junior season. After Redding’s positive day
in Columbus, Ohio State could be one of
the programs keeping tabs on the youthful
running back.
“It was great being at Ohio State, but it
was hard, too,” he said. “They worked us
very hard, and I didn’t expect that at all. The
facilities are just great and I liked everything
about Ohio State.”
Redding is also hearing from Alabama,
Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre
Dame.
“The coaches liked my performance, especially (running backs coach Stan) Drayton,”
he added. “They said they are going to
review the videos to see how everyone did.
I thought I did great, and I beat all the linebackers in the passing drills. I did everything
they asked me to do.”
• 2014 QB Jordan Severt, Austin
(Texas) Westlake – The 6-4, 227-pound
prospect grew up in Cincinnati before moving to the Lone Star State when he was in
sixth grade. With Ohio roots, Severt participated in Ohio State’s camp in mid-June.
“The coaches were all really intense,” he
said. “They want you to play as hard as you
can and go as fast as you can. I got to work
with Coach Herman. I like him a lot. He’s
from Texas, too, so we can relate. I got his
phone number so I’ll probably be in contact
with him.”
Severt has secured a scholarship offer
from SMU and is expected to pick up more
in-state offers in the near future having garnered interest from TCU, Texas and Texas
A&M. Though Severt likes living in Texas,
he said a program like Ohio State could
persuade him to leave the state for collegiate
football.
“It really just depends on what my choices are,” Severt said. “I like Texas. I’d like to
stay in Texas if it could be, but it’s tough to
say no to places like Ohio State and Stanford.
I pretty much like anyone who likes me.
That’s how it is right now.”
• 2014 OT Kyle Trout, Lancaster,
Ohio – Considered to be one of the top
offensive tackle prospects in the 2014 class,
Trout went camping this summer to prove
the hype surrounding his game is warranted.
Trout camped at Ohio, Cincinnati, Wisconsin
and Ohio State.
“I did really well,” Trout said of his performance at OSU. “Obviously there are things I
could improve on, but I feel like what I knew
how to do I did really well.”
The 6-6, 280-pound prospect has picked
up offers from Toledo, Ohio, Cincinnati and
Illinois. After his performance at the Ohio
State camp, he also grabbed an offer from
Bowling Green.
Trout, however, is hoping his list will
sport more Big Ten offers in the future.
Trout said he’s been an Ohio State fan his
entire life, and the Buckeyes staff said they’d
be in touch with him in the future.
“I talked to pretty much all of the coaches,” Trout said. “They said that I was one of
the top two linemen that were there today
and I did really well. And there were some
things that I did really nicely, and then other
things that I didn’t do bad – I just looked raw
and needed to work on.”
• 2014 CB Damon Webb, Detroit
Cass Tech – Though Webb plays for a high
school generally regarded as a pipeline to
Michigan, the 6-0, 175-pounder made the
effort to attend camp at Ohio State this summer. Webb’s performance was enough for
him to leave with something he didn’t have
before getting to Columbus.
“It was great being (in Columbus), and an
Ohio State offer means a lot to me,” Webb
stated. “This is one of the greatest programs
in the country, and to have an offer from
Urban Meyer personally is very exciting for
me. To think I could be playing college football here is amazing, really.
“I was just offered by Michigan too, so my
recruiting is going great. The Michigan offer
was special to me, and I don’t know how I
could compare the two schools. I just know
that both of these are really big offers to me.”
Webb’s performance was dynamic
enough for Meyer to issue him the scholarship during the lunch break rather than
doing what’s conventional and waiting until
the conclusion of the camp.
Five Year Ago – 2007
Ohio State’s senior advanced camp
attracted quite a star-studded group, including
the nation’s No. 1 prospect, Terrelle Pryor, and
every player to have already committed to be
Buckeyes in 2008.
Neither Pryor nor anyone else opted to
join the fold, but prior commitment Mike
Adams, an offensive lineman from Dublin
(Ohio) Coffman, came away feeling good
about the weekend because Pryor seemed to
come away from it with a positive view of the
Buckeyes.
“I feel like Ohio State’s probably where he
will end up,” Adams said. “Time will tell.”
One Year Ago – 2011
Ohio State picked up commitments from
a pair of in-state defensive backs but lost a
highly regarded offensive lineman.
Cleveland Glenville safety De’Van Bogard
and Steubenville cornerback Najee Murray
gave pledges to be Buckeyes while Lakewood
(Ohio) St. Edward offensive lineman Kyle Kalis
rescinded his.
“I want to keep all my options open and
will consider several programs going forward,
including Ohio State,” Kalis said. “That’s really
all I want to say about my recruitment at this
time.”
He also confirmed plans to visit Michigan in
the near future.
“Coach Meyer was the one that offered
me the scholarship in his office,” he said.
“We went on a tour during the lunch break of
the whole campus. When we came back and
went to his office, he offered me. He said he
wanted me and told me I have a scholarship
to Ohio State. I thanked him for the offer and
told him I appreciated it.”
• Other notable camp participants in the
2014 class were Hebron (Ky.) Conner quarterback Drew Barker; Speedway, Ind., wide
receiver Justin Brent; running back Kalvin
Gordon of Madison, Ohio; Elyria (Ohio)
Catholic quarterback Jeremy Holley; Holland
(Ohio) Springfield running back Charles Smith;
tight end Chance Sorrell of Middletown, Ohio;
Lima (Ohio) Central Catholic safety Darius
West; Beverly Hills (Mich.) Detroit Country
Day School quarterback Tyler Wiegers; and
Trotwood (Ohio) Madison defensive end
Verondtae Wilkinson.
Recruiting Notes
• Westerville (Ohio) South safety
Marcus Ball was expected to attend an Ohio
State camp in June but was a no-show. The
three-star prospect may have had a reason
for not attending the Buckeyes’ camp, as
he listed Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Arizona,
USC, Michigan State and Penn State as
the programs he’s most interested in. LSU,
Alabama and Oregon could also work their
ways into his recruitment in the near future,
but the local prospect left Ohio State off his
list for consideration.
• Ohio State is still heavily pursuing 2013
running back Derrick Green of Richmond
(Va.) Hermitage despite rumors that the
staff could be cooling on the 5-11, 220-pound
back. Green hasn’t narrowed down his list of
32 offers but has isolated Ohio State as the
only school that will certainly get an official
visit.
• Former Ohio State commitment Alex
Anzalone (6-3, 220) has narrowed down his
list to a final three, and the Buckeyes didn’t
make the final cut. The 2013 linebacker
from Wyomissing, Pa., will choose from
Notre Dame, Florida and Penn State when
participating in Nike’s The Opening camp in
Beaverton, Ore., in early July.
OHIO STATE FOOTBALL
It’s Coming: College Football Adopts Playoff
By JEFF SVOBODA
After years of debate and dissatisfaction
over the way college football determined its
national champion, a playoff is on the horizon
for the sport.
College presidents met June 26 and agreed
on a four-team, seeded playoff that will begin
with the 2014 season. That came one week
after conference commissioners and Notre
Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick recommended that setup be used to determine college football’s national champion.
About one month after telling reporters
that his conference preferred to stay with the
status quo – in which the top two teams in
the BCS standings, a matrix of human polls
and computer rankings, regardless of league
affiliation battled for the title – Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany trumpeted the new
system.
“The Big Ten Conference is pleased with
the decision made by the presidential oversight committee to implement a four-team
playoff for college football,” Delany said.
“We feel that this system will protect the
regular season, preserve the tradition of
bowl games and further enhance the Big
Ten’s partnership with the Pac-12 and Rose
Bowl while simultaneously allowing for great
innovation.
“It was a great day for college football
student-athletes, coaches, administrators and
fans.”
As for the reason for the Big Ten’s change
in tune, Delany admitted that public outcry
– which has existed for years but reached a
fever pitch after this past title game rematched
SEC West foes Alabama and LSU – and lower
television ratings signaled that change was in
the offing.
“I’m not suggesting people can’t criticize,”
he said. “I’m just saying the level, the drumbeat of criticism, was so significant over time
that it forced the change.”
The playoff will be the first ever in the
history of Division I-A football, which dawned
in 1869 and has used bowl games instead of
a playoff for its postseason since the beginning of the 20th century. It replaces the BCS,
a four-bowl rotation which will have lasted
for 16 seasons when the current contract
runs out after the Rose Bowl hosts the BCS
National Championship Game to conclude the
’13 campaign.
The presidential oversight committee
agreed on a 12-year contract for the new
system.
Though some items will still need to be
ironed out, the framework has become clear.
The two semifinal games each season will
rotate year-by-year between six bowl sites and
take place on either New Year’s Eve or New
Year’s Day. The championship game will be
bid out to a neutral site, and the contest will
take place on a Monday evening later in the
month.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 will also be able
to continue their tradition of having league
champions that do not qualify for the playoff
meet in the Rose Bowl. In addition, the SEC
and Big 12 have agreed to a bowl that will
match teams from their conferences, while
the ACC and another league are expected to
ink a deal with the Orange Bowl to continue
that tie-in.
When it comes to determining who will
take part in the four-team playoff, the BCS
standings will no longer play a part. Instead, a
selection committee – which the NCAA uses
in most sports to determine postseason fields
– will come together to pick those four teams.
They will be seeded one through four, with
the top team facing the No. 4 squad and Nos.
2 and 3 battling.
The selection committee’s members still
must be chosen, the bowls that will be part of
the deal must be selected and the all-important
monetary issues have to be sorted out, but
Delany said the framework in place is solid
and has broad-based support.
“We’re very unified,” Delany said. “There
are issues that have yet to be finalized. There’s
always devil in the detail, from the model to
the selection process, but clearly we’ve made
a lot of progress.”
The response from fans and media across
the country has been generally positive, as
the debate about which teams have deserved
to be in the BCS championship game in past
years has been strong. In 2004, an undefeated
Auburn team did not make the title game,
while such schools as TCU and Boise State
have posted unblemished campaigns in recent
years but not had access to a national title.
Some years have resulted in consensus
matchups – such as in 2002 when Ohio State
and Miami (Fla.) were both undefeated – but
others have produced decisions that were
questioned, such as in 2008 when Texas
and Oklahoma each lost only one game but
Oklahoma – which fell to Texas at a neutral
site during the regular season – went on to the
championship only to lose to Florida.
But while many see doubling the number
of teams that will play for a title as a positive outcome, others see it as the first step
toward a monster playoff – one that will
eventually reach eight, 16 or perhaps even
24 teams like the newly approved Division
I-AA format.
Some also expect similar controversy to
the past decade and a half, as the committee
that chooses the top four teams will certainly
be left open to criticism should the public disagree with its choices.
No matter what, major change is on the
way.
stake in things at Ohio State have been against
changes to the postseason system.
President E. Gordon Gee was perhaps
the most outspoken. The man known for his
ability to turn a phrase – both good and bad
– famously drew a line in the sand a few years
ago putting Ohio State firmly on the non-playoff side of the debate.
“I’ll say it again – over my dead body,” Gee
told The Lantern, the school newspaper, in
2009. “Mark that down – we will not have a
playoff in this era – period.”
More recently, new head coach Urban
Meyer said he was against the possibility of a
playoff upon being hired.
“I wouldn’t change (the BCS),” he said in
January. “I love what it is. I really do.”
The former Florida coach pointed to his
experience winning BCS titles in 2006 and
’08 when discussing his stance. His Gators
captured two titles under the modified BCS
system, which began in 2006 with the creation
of the BCS National Championship Game.
Before that, the title was determined in a 1
vs. 2 contest that happened as part of a bowl
game, but the system adopted in ’06 moved
the matchup into the newly created title game
staged at one of the bowl sites about a week
after the rest of the BCS games. That left five
games as part of the BCS, with the host site
also staging its original bowl close to New
Year’s Day.
“We were the first school (in 2006) to be a
week removed from all the other bowl games
and that was awesome, that whole experience,” he said. “You couldn’t do any better.”
Meyer also was against adding games
through a playoff because of player welfare.
Under the new system, a team that wins its
conference title game and then makes the
national title game will play 15 contests, while
teams are limited to 14 now.
“We were on fumes in ’08 when we beat
Alabama (in the SEC title game),” Meyer
said. “If we had to play the next week or the
next two weeks or three weeks or four weeks,
you’re toast. I don’t know how you’d do it.
Those teams were completely spent.”
Meyer has not released any statements
since the playoff deal has been announced,
but BSB did speak with athletic director Gene
Smith about the situation. Smith also spoke of
how he was against any changes but said Ohio
State would adapt with the times.
“We kind of evolved, just like the final recommendations evolved,” he said. “The status
quo was fine with us. The regular season is the
best it’s ever been, so initially the status quo
was fine with us. When we realized we had
no choice, we moved to review the plus-one
(proposal, which would have added a postbowl title contest). We’ve looked at it hard and
it will work.
“Then we moved to the one-through-four
model and started to look at it and began to
embrace it.”
Smith said the school is also in favor of
some of the details that have been hashed out,
such as the establishment of a selection committee that will weigh such factors as strength
of schedule and a conference championship.
“We felt very strongly that if we were
going to have it, it had to have a human element to it in some form or fashion,” he said.
“The polls are good, but there’s weakness in
the polls. We felt strength of schedule was
important, otherwise everyone’s nonconference schedule would be very interesting. And
then we felt that there should be some credit
to conference champions in some form or
fashion.”
Smith was also one of those in favor of
on-campus sites hosting early playoff rounds,
a Big Ten idea that was ditched early in the
process.
“We realized we probably couldn’t win the
campus sites option, which was a great idea,
but none of us at the end of the day after we
went through it thought we could win enough
votes to win that,” he said. “I would have absolutely loved it. I think it would have been cool,
but we realized we couldn’t get the votes.
“As you go through this process, you’re
evaluating what is possible and what is not. I
think that’s why you saw all the conferences
from the beginning, you heard a lot of stuff
and you saw people shifting positions because
the collaboration was going on. We were part
of that. We shifted positions as the collaboration was going on. You hear pros and cons and
what’s realistic.”
With on-campus sites out of the picture,
the usage of bowl sites to stage the semifinals
was important to Smith and Ohio State.
“We still feel that playing the semifinals in
the bowl games is very important,” he said.
“The bowl system is good. It’s solid. The bowl
structure, the local organizing committees are
organized to host these events. They know
how to do it. They know what the kids need. It
won’t be like bowl games because let’s say you
play on Saturday, you’ll go in on Thursday,
play on Saturday and go home. You won’t be
going down on Sunday and staying the whole
week. It’s a whole new ballgame.
“So we feel in the Big Ten that the bowls
know how to do this, and the semifinals are
so important.”
Ohio State Reacts
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COVER STORY
Offenses Have Evolved Throughout OSU History
Rex Kern, who would take over at quarterback in ’68, told BSB that Hayes initially
resisted the move before relenting. That
turned out to be the right move.
The Buckeyes doubled their scoring output (from 16.1 to 32.3 points per game),
went undefeated and won the national championship in 1968.
Looking back decades later, Kern said
he felt the I-formation enhanced what the
Buckeyes could do by giving them more
ways to use their weapons, including fullbacks Jim Otis and John Brockington and
halfbacks Dave Brungard, Leo Hayden and
Larry Zelina.
“The I-formation gave you the opportunity to get around the corner much quicker,”
he said. “The old-timers will remember
the old button-shoe (his term for the ‘fullhouse’ T-formation) offense was from tackle
to tackle. The I-formation was really from
tackle to sideline, so it really just expanded
the field and gave us more attack points. We
could put our skill people against our opponents’ skill people instead of us putting our
interior line against the interior defense. We
were good at either one, but this just gave us
a better opportunity.”
Hayes did not completely abandon the T.
It remained his weapon of choice once the
Buckeyes reached the red zone.
“Woody loved the straight T, and he
wouldn’t let anybody tell him any different,”
Kern said. “Always in short yardage or goal
line we would go to straight T offense. As
the season progressed, he would say, ‘Do
you know how many touchdowns we scored
inside the 10-yard line?’ And he would give
the number then ask what offense they used
and the answer was the T – but that was the
only formation we ran then!
“His point was this is my bread and butter and when I need it I’m going back to it.”
Kern threw for 972 yards and ran for
another 534, a rushing total second on the
team to Otis’ 985.
The 10-0 Buckeyes piled up 323 points,
but they were just getting warmed up. They
totaled 383 a season later despite playing
one fewer game, though a late-season upset
loss to Michigan kept the team from repeating as national champions.
“When you look at our sophomore year
we were still refining our offense,” Kern
said. “We found more things to do our
sophomore year as we got better and better
and better at it, and then of course our junior
year we did exceedingly well.”
From Ice Age To Stone Age
The end of the Hayes era gave way to the
leadership of one of his former assistants,
Earle Bruce. The men share many common
traits when it comes to coaching football,
but Bruce was more willing to open things
up somewhat to take advantage of another
sophomore quarterback who like Kern wore
No. 10.
This time it was Art Schlichter, one of
the most ballyhooed recruits in Ohio history and a freshman starter in ’78, Hayes’
last season.
Schlichter, who is currently serving a
10-year prison sentence for running a bogus
ticket-selling business, told BSB during a
2009 interview that the offense was more
complex his sophomore season.
“It was a whole different ballgame with
Coach Bruce,” Schlichter said. “We started
throwing the ball on first down a little bit
The passing game actually lost some
more, and though we weren’t racking up the
yardage we did in the later years, we finally proficiency (from a 54.1 percent complemixed the passing game in with the run and tion rate to 51.8) from 1987 to ’88, and the
made the passing game effective enough offense managed only five more total points
that it helped the run. That’s really what (224 to 229). The Buckeyes stumbled from
you want to do. You run to set up the pass 6-4-1 in Bruce’s last campaign to 4-6-1 in ’88
and you pass to set up the run. We started under Cooper, but the offense was hardly
doing that more and we had more success alone in taking blame for that.
Cooper shared openly his
offensively.”
surprise at the lack of talent he
After completing 87 of 175
found on the roster, and he was
passes for 1,250 yards in ’78,
forced to break in a new quarterSchlichter went 105 for 200 for
back that season.
1,816 yards as a sophomore.
That was Greg Frey, a highly
Whatever differences there
touted signal caller who had run
were between the Bruce and
a wide-open offense at Cincinnati
Hayes offenses, they shared at
St. Xavier High School (where
least one significant trait – all
Meyer was a 21-year-old coachof the passing was out of playing intern) and who was happy
action, regardless of down
to see the changes Colletto had
and distance. Schlichter never
in store.
dropped straight back after takWoody Hayes
He completed 152 of 293
ing the snap.
“That was a result of our protection,” passes for 2,028 yards as a sophomore in
said Schlichter, who described the offensive 1988 and finished his career second only to
progression as moving from the Ice Age to Schlichter in career passing yards (6,316) at
Ohio State. He remains fourth
the Stone Age. “Coach Bruce
on that list and is the only
liked the turn-back protection.
Buckeye to throw for more than
He thought it protected the quar2,000 yards in three different
terback as much as anything,
seasons.
so we used that protection to
Frey is a private quarterplay-action pass. Third-and-long,
backs coach today and told BSB
we were throwing out of a playhe still appreciates what Colletto
action set. I had hoped that we
brought to Columbus in the late
would have gotten away from
’80s.
that, but we never really did.”
“Jim Colletto was a great
Schlichter led the Buckeyes
strategist when it came to the
to within a point of the national
passing game,” Frey said.
championship in 1979 and ended
Earle Bruce
“We did have a very modern
up with just about every Ohio
State passing record before he was finished. passing game. Not the one-back, four-wide
His single-season record of 2,551 yards in stuff you see now, but he understood the
1981 has since been broken three times, but passing game quite well.”
his career marks of 7,547 yards and 951 pass
attempts remain school records, as does his Tressel’s Tweaks
By the time Jim Tressel took over for
mark of 458 yards in a loss to Florida State
Cooper in 2001, the landscape of college
in 1981.
Schlichter’s wishes for more ways to football had started to shift.
Oklahoma won the national championdeploy the passing game were eventually
granted, but not until seven years after he ship the previous season with a combination
of stifling defense and a pass-happy offense.
had used up his eligibility.
Closer to home, two of the three teams
Bruce was fired with one game left in the
1987 season, and successor John Cooper that tied for the Big Ten title in 2000 were
brought in offensive coordinator Jim Colletto running spread offenses as well. Michigan
to jazz up the aerial attack. Colletto’s solu- won a share of the title with its familiar protion seems quaint by today’s standards but style attack, but Purdue and Northwestern
was practically revolutionary in Columbus crashed the party with unique versions of
the spread.
in 1988.
That had folks in Columbus wondering
“All we’re trying to do is give the offense
a few more weapons to try and play the if their new coach, a man who had operated
game with,” Colletto said then. “The drop- largely below the radar as head coach at
back will open up the game and make it Division I-AA Youngstown State, might do
more difficult for defenses to gang up on us. the same.
“I’ve never been much of a revolutionary
We’re trying to become a proficient dropguy,” Tressel said during spring practice in
back passing team.
“And we will pass on first down. That is 2001. “There are certain fundamentals that
are long-standing that have stood the test of
something we keep careful track of.”
Among formations the Buckeyes would time. Your offense has got to be in concert
run were the I, the split-back, one-back and with your defense and special teams. It cannot be an entity in and of itself.”
shotgun.
He went on to describe the importance
Colletto seemed to feel the need to
explain the latter was not as revolutionary of having an effective running game, citing
as it might seem to those not used to seeing a study the coaching staff did when it was
hired that revealed the Buckeyes had won
it at Ohio State.
“That can be a very exciting part of an more than 90 percent of the time they ran
offense,” he told reporters in April 1988. “It for 200 yards or more in a game during the
will be part of our everyday plan. We don’t previous 10 seasons.
However, offensive coordinator Jim
consider it unusual at all. Most quarterbacks
welcome the chance to operate from the Bollman did not rule out an infusion of
spread formations, and players such as twoshotgun.”
Although everyone left spring practice year starting quarterback Steve Bellisari
saying the right things that year, early spoke excitedly of using more four-receiver
sets both for running and passing.
results were not too promising.
Reporters allowed to attend practice
noted the expanded use of the shotgun, and
a pass-heavy spring game (57 pass attempts
compared to just 32 runs) bolstered fans’
hopes for a versatile attack come fall.
As it turned out, the change was not
drastic. The percentage of run plays
increased from 60.5 in 2000 to 65.7 in the
first year under Tressel, and the team’s
scoring declined from 27.6 points per game
to 26.0.
Tressel stressed the main differences
involved the language used to call the plays
rather than the actions themselves, something quarterback Craig Krenzel confirmed
was the case in a recent interview with
BSB.
“Styles weren’t that drastically different, but nomenclature changes,” said
Krenzel, who was a third-year sophomore
in 2001. “Understanding what you’re trying to accomplish changes, and once you
can get through all that you just have to
be prepared. Life changes all the time,
you have to be able to prepare, to grow
and adapt.”
That was particularly true for Krenzel,
who began the season as the third-string
quarterback behind Bellisari and classmate
Scott McMullen but ended it in much difference circumstances.
Bellisari had an uneven beginning to the
season but reeled off three consecutive 200yard passing games from the last week of
October into the middle of November.
He had the Buckeyes in contention
for the Big Ten title until a DUI arrest
sidelined him for the last two games of
the regular season. McMullen started a
34-22 loss to Illinois that knocked Ohio
State out of the Big Ten race, and Tressel
went to Krenzel the following week for the
traditional regular-season finale against
Michigan.
The unranked Buckeyes traveled to Ann
Arbor as underdogs but knocked off the
11th-ranked Wolverines with a stirring 2620 victory.
They won at Michigan Stadium for the
first time since Bruce’s last game in 1987
with a formula that would become familiar
to Buckeye fans during the following decade
– a strong running game and dominant
defense.
In the years to follow, Tressel adapted
to his personnel and tweaked his schemes
accordingly from year to year, including the
infusion of some of the option game with
quarterbacks Troy Smith and Terrelle Pryor
that is a signature of Meyer’s attack.
That figures to help bridge the gap from
the previous era to this one.
“I think it’s not as big a change for them
now as it would have been from maybe 2004
or 2003,” said Krenzel, who led the Buckeyes
to the 2002 national championship.
“The funny thing about offensive football
is that coaches are all trying to do the same
thing. They’re all trying to create space
and creating favorable matchups. They’re
going to do it in different ways and different
formations and with different personnel, but
you’re constantly trying to get to the same
endgame – that’s creating space and creating favorable matchups.”
And so as Hayes and Kern shared that
common goal with Tressel and Smith, Meyer
figures to do the same with Braxton Miller.
Time will tell how his tenure matches
those who came before him.
BSB staff writer Ari Wasserman contributed to this story.
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2002 CHAMPIONSHIP ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Four Candidates Battled For Starting TB Spot
Editor’s Note: Buckeye Sports Bulletin is
celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ohio State’s
2002 national championship team by reprinting
stories that appeared in BSB throughout that
special season. This story was originally published in the June 2002 issue of BSB.
By STEVE HELWAGEN
Buckeye Sports Bulletin Editor
USC is known far and wide as “Tailback
U.”
But people in the Midwest — particularly
those in the state of Ohio — like to believe
that Ohio State has produced more than its
fair share of tailbacks through the years.
The school boasts five Heisman Trophy
winners who combined for six awards and
all were running backs, including two-time
winner Archie Griffin and 1995 recipient
Eddie George.
The position also has served as a prime
proving ground for running backs with
pro aspirations. Outgoing starter Jonathan
Wells, a 1,294-yard rusher in 2001, was
taken in the fourth round of this year’s draft
by the expansion Houston Texans.
He became the 13th tailback since 1972
who had started at least one full year at
OSU to be drafted by an NFL team. (The
three exceptions: John Wooldridge, Carlos
Snow and Pepe Pearson.)
So it was no surprise this spring that four
young candidates battled hard for the right
to replace Wells.
Sophomores Lydell Ross and Maurice
Hall, redshirt freshman JaJa Riley and earlyenrolling freshman Maurice Clarett competed for the open job. But when the dust
settled after the Scarlet and Gray Game
April 27, nobody really had taken a clear
lead.
OSU issued a spring-ending depth chart,
listing players as far as five and six deep at
some positions. But at tailback, Ross and
Hall were bracketed in the No. 1 spot and
Clarett and Riley were together at No. 2.
However, according to running backs
coach Tim Spencer, they were placed in that
arrangement on the team’s internal depth
chart spreadsheet because it was impossible
to fit four names into the first slot.
“There’s no pecking order yet,” Spencer
said. “They’re still kind of grouped. We
switched them so everybody got an equal
shot.”
The tailbacks were put to the supreme
test this spring. They were asked to run
and pass protect behind a patchwork offensive line decimated by injuries. They went
against a veteran OSU defensive front,
which jammed the running lanes and came
free against the quarterbacks almost at
will.
In three scrimmage settings this spring,
BSB’s unofficial statistics had the tailbacks
combining for 179 yards on 76 carries.
That’s a paltry average of 2.4 yards per
carry. And for good measure — or should
it be bad measure? — the Buckeyes failed
to rush for a touchdown in any of the three
scrimmages.
But on the plus side, the tailbacks never
lost a fumble in any of the three scrimmages. (Riley and Ross each fumbled, but those
were recovered by teammates.)
Spencer said this baptism by fire showed
that his guys appear ready to rise to the
challenge.
“It was probably tough for them because
they weren’t getting as many touches as
they may like or because we don’t have
everybody in there that we’ll have in the
fall,” Spencer said.
“They’d come back to the huddle and
say, ‘Every time I get in there, somebody
is falling down.’ But that’s just the way it is.
It’s all relative.”
OSU head coach Jim Tressel also liked
the way the young tailbacks went about
their work despite the many hardships.
“They really grew up as complete guys,”
Tressel said. “They are receivers, they are
now pass protectors and we all know they
can run. Their completeness has been real
good.”
The accompanying graphic shows that
Ohio State has never had as many as three
tailbacks rush for 500 yards in the same
season. But unless somebody breaks loose
during fall camp or early in the season, the
tailback position could be handled by committee in 2002.
Sharing The Load
OSU could have as many as four tailbacks sharing the load this season with sophomores
Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall, redshirt freshman JaJa Riley and incoming freshman Maurice
Clarett all vying for carries.
Since 1944, Ohio State has never had three tailbacks eclipse the 500-yard mark in the
same season. Five times during that span, though, three OSU offensive teammates (including
quarterbacks and fullbacks) have accomplished that feat. Here’s the list with each player’s
primary position listed in parentheses:
• 1970 – John Brockington (FB), 1,142 yards; Leo Hayden (HB), 767; Rex Kern (QB),
597
• 1975 – Archie Griffin (TB), 1,450; Pete Johnson (FB), 1,059; Cornelius Greene
(QB), 518
• 1978 – Paul Campbell (FB), 591; Art Schlichter (QB), 590; Ron Springs (TB), 585
• 1982 – Tim Spencer (TB), 1,538; Jimmy Gayle (TB), 647; Vaughn Broadnax (FB),
514
• 1989 – Carlos Snow (TB), 990; Scottie Graham (FB), 977; Dante Lee (TB), 503
Even more rare is the combination of two teammates who have gone over the 1,000-yard
mark in rushing. According to BSB research, that has happened only three times in Big Ten
history and only once by a pair of tailbacks. Here’s the list with each player’s primary position
listed in parentheses:
• 1975, Ohio State – Archie Griffin (TB), 1,450; Pete Johnson (FB), 1,059
• 1975, Michigan – Gordon Bell (TB), 1,388; Rob Lytle (FB), 1,040
• 1990, Michigan State – Tico Duckett (TB), 1,394; Hyland Hickson (TB), 1,196
“You could now say that we have four
tailbacks in the outfit that can make plays,”
Tressel said. “I think that would be surprising to some that you could attack with that
quartet.
“We’ve got some talent there, but we
are going to be very, very young. They all
showed that they could make plays. I have
high hopes for that group.”
The following is an alphabetical look at
OSU’s four-headed monster at tailback.
Clarett: The New Sensation
Much of the excitement surrounding
spring practice centered on Clarett, the
reigning USA Today national offensive player of the year and Ohio Mr. Football Award
winner from Warren Harding High School.
Clarett, a 6-0, 230-pound bruiser, was
one of the featured players in OSU’s No.
2-ranked recruiting class after carrying for
2,194 yards and scoring 37 touchdowns at
Harding.
He graduated early in December and
enrolled at OSU in January. He underwent
successful thumb surgery in February, a
procedure that originally was expected to
limit Clarett’s reps this spring. But he taped
it up and went full-go for most, if not all, of
the spring’s 15 practice sessions.
He ended up being the team’s leading
rusher for the spring (21 carries, 61 yards in
the three scrimmages) and the Scarlet and
Gray Game (five carries, 17 yards).
But Clarett also was well-regarded for his
toughness — the upperclassmen on defense
made it clear they were out to stop the phenom — and mastery of the playbook.
“I was surprised with his football knowledge,” Spencer said. “He is a smart football
player and he takes pride in doing what he’s
doing.”
In the Scarlet and Gray Game, Clarett
hauled in three passes for 25 yards.
“He’s really shown he can catch the
ball and run with it,” said quarterback
Scott McMullen, who joined Clarett on the
victorious Gray squad. “A lot of it was the
defense dropping back so far. He was wide
open out there, so I wanted to get it to him
and let him make a play.”
Whether it’s pounding between the tackles or catching swing passes in the flat,
Clarett seemed up to the task.
“I like catching,” Clarett said. “It gets
you in the open field earlier and the DBs are
much smaller than you. I like the versatility,
showing another dimension to my game.”
Hall: Mr. Versatility
Hall, a product of nearby Columbus
Brookhaven, made his mark last fall as a
freshman with his kick returns.
He got only nine rushing attempts all
year, though he did find success with 72
yards (8.0 average). He did most of his damage on special teams, where he returned 24
kicks for a respectable 21.8 average.
Hall, the smallest of the four at 5-10, 190
pounds, used the spring to show he could
handle the tailback job if called upon.
“I thought he had a great spring,” Tressel
said. “He’s smart as a whip. He makes big
plays, he accelerates, he catches the ball
well, he’s a great threat on the special
teams. I’m glad he’s on our team. Maurice
Hall is going to be a great player here.”
Spencer also appreciated the way Hall
elevated his game this spring.
“Mo Hall, I think, had an excellent
spring,” Spencer said. “He has done everything I asked him to do when we talked at
the end of the season. He has improved.
“He obviously wanted to play more last
year, but it’s hard when you come in as a
freshman with two other tailbacks and one
guy gets to play a whole lot, which was
Lydell. It was tough for Maurice, but he
worked through it and he did a good job
with school.”
Hall’s numbers this spring were not
that strong (20 carries for 39 yards in the
three scrimmages) as he worked quite a
bit against the first-team defense. But those
carries showed that Hall could handle the
punishment.
“I think he is very capable of taking a
pounding,” Spencer said. “He’s certainly
shown that. He’s taken some hits and gotten up. He can be the guy.”
Hall said he used the spring to shore up
his work in the passing game as a blocker
and a receiver, even working some as a slot
receiver.
“I think I definitely got better in blocking
because that was a big step for me last year
to this year,” he said. “I just worked on it a
lot and I think I got a lot better.
“I liked it in the slot. I think it shows that
I’m versatile and I can do more than just run
the ball. I think it’s going to help me.”
Hall was asked whether Clarett’s presence served as a motivating factor for the
three returnees.
“I think it can’t do anything but make
you want to work harder and get better and
show the coaches what you could do,” he
said.
Riley: Don’t Forget JaJa
Riley, listed at 6-2, 200 pounds, went to
the coaches during fall camp and asked to
be redshirted. The product of San Diego
Mission Bay High School used that season
to get stronger and learn the offense while
working on the scout team.
He was not as highly ranked as any of
OSU’s three other tailbacks coming out of
high school, but it would seem to be unwise
to discount Riley, especially after his performance in the Scarlet and Gray Game.
He hauled in a game-high six catches for
50 yards for the Scarlet squad, including a
nifty 23-yard catch-and-run where he carried defenders along with him.
“Everybody is talking about Maurice and
Maurice,” noted defensive end Will Smith
after the game. “But you can’t forget about
JaJa. He did pretty well today, too.”
Riley finished just behind Clarett in
rushing yardage over the three scrimmages
with 53 yards on 16 carries. His average of
3.3 yards per carry as well as his receiving
totals of nine catches for 77 yards were all
team bests among the tailbacks.
“I just tried to capitalize on my opportunities,” Riley said. “The opportunity was
there and I took it.”
His first year at OSU has been a learning
experience. Riley, in fact, took few handoffs
in high school (more often than not the
ball was pitched to him) so even the most
basic movements and fundamentals have
not come easily for him.
But he believes he deserves a shot this
fall.
“Is there room for four guys? I really
can’t say,” Riley said. “That’s a coaching
decision on how they’re going to run that.
But it’s a multiple offense and we’re trying
to get a lot of guys involved.”
Ross: Hamstring Held Him Back
The 6-0, 210-pound Ross came into the
spring listed as the No. 1 tailback, based on
his performance as Wells’ backup last fall.
But a hamstring injury held Ross back
and he was not able to take a firm grip on
the job.
That performance allowed him to make
history on two fronts. He became just the
fourth true freshman to eclipse the 100yard mark at OSU, joining Griffin in 1972,
Jaymes Bryant in 1986 and Robert Smith in
1990. And, at 17 years and nine months old,
Ross was believed to be the youngest back
to rush for 100 yards in a Big Ten game in
conference history.
But Wells solidified his hold on the job
with a strong game against Northwestern
the following week and the freshman’s
workload decreased as the season wore on.
He still ended up as OSU’s second-leading
rusher with 419 yards and third-leading
scorer with six touchdowns.
“Personally I think I bring a quicker
kind of game play in terms of cutting and
things like that, and with vision and making
“He was limited early on,” Spencer said.
“I think toward the end he was starting to
feel more like himself. When you’re thinking
about your hamstring or your back, it’s really
hard to concentrate on anything else.
“He’s not a young man who’s going to
tell you, ‘Hey, Coach, I’m hurting.’ You can
see it in his performance. He tries, but when
you’re hurting, you’re hurting.”
Ross, held to 24 yards on 20 carries over
the three scrimmages, admitted he was not
100 percent.
“It hampered me this spring,” he said. “I
felt like I wasn’t that strong.”
A product of Tampa (Fla.) Gaither High
School, Ross seemed poised to supplant
Wells early last season. He broke loose for
124 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s
win at Indiana.
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quick decisions,” Ross said. “I think I make
people miss most of all.
“Maurice and JaJa and Clar, they love
to go head up. They’ll probably go head up
before they make someone miss. Me, I’m
going to split it. I’m going to see my options
and see if I can make them miss before I’ve
got a head-on collision.”
Much had been made of a supposed rift
between Ross and the newcomer Clarett.
But Ross tipped his cap to the freshman,
agreeing with Hall that the competition
should only make all of the tailbacks better.
“With him wanting it that bad, it makes
me want it even more,” Ross said. “I see him
out there, and you can just look in his eyes
and tell he wants it. But he’s not going to
get it that easily.”
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Return Of Doss Sparked Championship Season
Editor’s Note: Buckeye Sports Bulletin is
celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ohio State’s
2002 national championship with reprints of
stories that appeared in BSB throughout that
special season, as well as new stories such as the
one below.
By ARI WASSERMAN
Long before Cincinnati’s two dropped
fourth-quarter potential touchdown passes,
Chris Gamble’s pick-six against Penn State
and Craig Krenzel’s late touchdown pass to
Michael Jenkins at Purdue, there was Mike
Doss sitting in his car outside the Woody
Hayes Athletic Center with a Bible on his
lap.
There was less than 10 minutes remaining
before his 2 p.m. press conference on Jan.
9, 2002, to announce whether he’d pursue a
career in the NFL or return to Ohio State for
his senior season. With a bright future in the
professional ranks well within his grasp, Doss
still had no idea what was in store for him in
the coming months.
Given the culture of college football today,
it seemed like a given that the defensive
back would take the money and run, especially after having suffered through seasons
filled with losses in his first three years as a
Buckeye. But the star safety had mixed feelings as he stepped up to the microphone.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 8
years old,” Doss said as he opened up his
press conference, sending off the signal that
he was about to announce his intentions to
leave Ohio State. “My dream has always been
to play in the National Football League and
now that the opportunity has arrived I have to
ask myself, ‘Is this the best thing for Michael
Doss?’ ”
Maybe if Doss had different opinions about
what was important, the next minutes of his
press conference would have gone in another
direction. But after emotional breakdowns
and his mother’s voice ringing in his head,
Doss did something he didn’t have planned
just minutes before approaching the lectern.
“My mother told me, living in a two-bedroom apartment with nothing to survive on
but her son,” Doss continued, “she told me
to get my education, and I will be returning
to Ohio State.”
In that moment, Doss may not have realized the significance of the decision he made.
Sure, it had a profound impact on the outlook
of his life for the next year, but the bold
statements about winning a national title that
followed – statements that proved prophetic
when OSU went 14-0 and captured its first
crown in more than three decades –were
more than just fluff from a battle-tested veteran to round out his press conference.
“He was obviously extremely valuable to
us on the field, but more than what he gave
on the field was the concept of him choosing to return because he wanted to be a part
of something special,” Krenzel recently told
BSB. “He wanted to be there with his teammates and to make a run, and that really
spoke volumes.
“How many times do you see these days
where kids are coming out of high school
and they’re looking at it as, ‘Hey, if I make it
through three years I’ll go get paid millions
of dollars in the NFL’? For Michael Doss, a
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THE RIGHT DECISION – Ohio State defensive back Mike Doss (2) celebrated
the 2002 national championship one year after wrestling with whether to
return for his final season as a Buckeye.
three-time All-American, to say, ‘Look, I am
coming back because I want to win a national
title because I think we have a chance for
something here,’ was just special. It changed
us.”
Ohio State had suffered through 15 losses through Doss’ first three years, making
visions of a national championship in his
senior season seem more like a pipe dream
than a reality. The Buckeyes were in a transitional period from head coach John Cooper
to Jim Tressel, and 2002 was going to be
only Tressel’s second year at the helm of the
program.
Add in the fact that Krenzel had started
only two games in his career – although one
was a victory against Michigan at the end of
the 2001 campaign – and there were question
marks regarding how the team would be
ready to take that next step and compete with
the nation’s top teams again.
Doss understood the ramifications of making a bold statement about competing for a
national title. He also knew the odds were
likely against the Buckeyes to fulfill what
turned out to be quite the prophecy. It didn’t
matter.
“It was definitely a situation where foresight and a lot of prayer and a lot of hope and
faith were needed to pull it together to even
make that statement,” Doss told BSB, reflecting more than a decade later on his decision
to return. “I was just a young guy wanting to
leave Ohio State with a legacy.
“I remember 1998, being a recruit when
Ohio State lost to Michigan State sitting in
my living room thinking I was the piece that
would make the difference. When I got to
Ohio State I was thinking we were one game
away from being national champions and I
was that missing link.”
Three seasons later and with more losses
accumulated than he preferred to count – not
to mention the dismissal of Cooper – Doss’
preconceived notion about life at Ohio State
couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“I am thinking to myself – how is this
happening?” Doss said. “I was just like, my
freshman class redshirted, we had a good
class, and I felt why not play with my guys,
give it a shot, and most importantly give it
my best effort to go out with a bang and win
a Big Ten championship, which I never had
the opportunity to win. I wanted to leave Ohio
State knowing I did my part and move on.”
His mother’s desire for him to get a college
education was a major factor in his decision to
return, but the message that was sent in the
process further invigorated a team energized
by the 2001 win at Michigan.
“I think when he came back it reinforced
our vision and gave us confidence that he
came back for something special, and we
then really believed that we had something
special,” Donnie Nickey, Doss’ 2002 co-captain, told BSB.
He wasn’t the only one who sensed a
change.
“Mike led by example – it wasn’t like
somebody just spouted off at the mouth and
said something about a national championship,” cornerback Dustin Fox said. “When
he talks, people listen to him. We totally
bought in to everything he was all about.
That was a good starting point for something
special.”
The 2002 football season will stand out in
Ohio State history forever, not only because
the Buckeyes capped the season off with a
double-overtime victory against top-ranked
Miami (Fla.) in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe,
Ariz., a game in which Doss had a crucial second-quarter interception that led to a
touchdown that helped the Buckeyes capture
the win.
It was the countless moments that got
Ohio State there, those little intricate plays
in each game leading up to the final moment
that left Buckeye fans nearly as exhausted as
the players making them.
Every game seemed like a thriller. One
negative play in most of the team’s 14 wins
could have turned a national championship
season into another year lost in the media
guide.
“To pull it out and win a national championship, books are written off stuff like that,”
Doss said. “We came out of nowhere to make
a run, the stars aligned, the moon was shining, and then there we were in Arizona.”
That season-altering play – the backbreaker – never happened. Instead, every break
seemingly went Ohio State’s way – starting in
January when Doss stepped up to the lectern
and made his crucial decision.
“The first couple times those things started
to happen you started to feel like something
more than us was kind of helping us,” Nickey
said. “Sometimes it felt like it was more than
just luck. I think that was the belief we all
had in each other and that closeness that we
developed.
“Sometimes the stars just align. There
are hundreds of plays during that season
that could have changed everything. The
stars aligned on the football field every week.
Things didn’t always make sense. There were
plenty of stars that had to line up for us to win
it all that year. Mike was definitely a big one.
He was probably the first one.”
COVER STORY
Smith Speaks To BSB About Range Of Topics
With the football program seemingly having returned to an upward track, Ohio State
showed the strength of its overall athletic
department during the 2011-12 academic and
athletic seasons.
The school finished the campaign fourth
in the standings for the Directors’ Cup, the
yearly trophy that tabulates the on-field success of a school across the breadth of its
sports. Ohio State finished in the top four for
the second consecutive year after posting a
second-place finish in 2010-11.
The Buckeyes’ fencing and synchronized
swimming programs earned national championships, while the men’s basketball squad captured the attention of not just Buckeye Nation
but the entire country by reaching the Final
Four for the second time under Thad Matta.
In addition, the wrestling and rowing
teams finished fifth in the nation, men’s tennis
reached the NCAA quarterfinals, men’s and
women’s gymnastics each placed seventh in
the country and the field hockey, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball programs reached
the final 16 of the NCAA tournament.
On the individual level, Ohio State saw
Christina Manning capture a pair of national
championships on the track on the way to
being named the Big Ten’s Suzy Favor Female
Athlete of the Year. Wrestler Logan Stieber;
synchronized swimmers Yuliya Maryanko,
Alex Beckett and Paige Ramsey; fencers
Katarzyna Dabrowa and Zain Shaito; the rowing First Varsity Four crew of Alex Sawatzki,
Taylore Urban, Katie King, Stephanie Johnson
and Emily Ralph; and men’s tennis athletes
Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola also won
national event titles.
Moreover, 10 current or former Ohio State
athletes have qualified for the 2012 Summer
Olympic Games that will begin in July in
London, England, proving yet again that
Buckeye athletes can and do succeed on the
international scale.
Ohio State’s athletes had a banner year in
the classroom, as well. A record 548 finished
winter quarter with cumulative grade-point
averages of 3.0 or higher, allowing them to be
honored at the annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner
in May.
In all, 174 athletes graduated from Ohio
State during the academic year, and the
Buckeyes led the league again in Academic
All-Big Ten choices. Five athletes – led by
men’s basketball star Aaron Craft – were
named Academic All-Americans, and five programs including football finished in the top
10 percent of their sports in the NCAA’s
Academic Progress Rate.
With all that in mind, Smith was in a good
mood when he sat down to review the year
with Buckeye Sports Bulletin on June 21.
Speaking in a conference room at the Fawcett
Center, just down the hall from his office,
Smith was at ease when talking about both
the hardships and accomplishments of the
past 12 months.
What follows is a partial transcript of the
interview with Smith.
Buckeye Sports Bulletin: A
year ago at this time, you had just
parted ways with a very popular
and successful football coach. You
still had NCAA issues on the horizon. Recently, you said you just
had to get to “blue skies” at that
time. Now do you feel like you
have gotten through that rough
patch and can feel pretty good
about things?
Gene Smith: “Yes, it’s behind
us. It’s obviously a teachable
Gene
moment, a lot of things we’ve
learned, some hard challenges throughout
that process, but we are (past it). We have a
new leader for our football program who is
doing a marvelous job. Our kids have bought
into his plan. We’re moving forward, so we’re
to blue sky.”
BSB: And even from a whole athletic
department standpoint, not just football, you
have to be encouraged by the success on the
field and off the field.
Smith: “It’s unbelievable. We’ve had such
a great year. We’re fourth in the Directors’
Cup, which is four years in a row where we’re
in the top 10. That’s the best run we’ve ever
had. Academically, we had 174 graduates
this year, which I’m proud of. We had 312
Academic All-Big Ten honorees, and our overall GPA was 3.07. It was a phenomenal year for
us on a lot of fronts.”
BSB: We’ll get a little more in-depth with
that in a second, but going back to saying
you had to get to blue skies – was it hard
going through it to know that you would
eventually get there? Did you have to remind
yourself every day that it wasn’t going to be
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a permanent thing, that you were going to
eventually reach a point where it was going to
be all right?
Smith: “We did. I had to come to work
each day with that focus. We couldn’t lose
our primary responsibility, which was to focus
on our student-athletes, help them have the
experience that we promised them. Now that
we’ve finished the year, we look back and we
were able to do that.
“I had to be supportive of our staff. I wasn’t
the only one going through this. There are 350
employees – people who work in our business
office, people who work in the camp office, and
they all were stressed by that experience. I
had to be sure that I was providing the shadow
of a leader and making sure that
they stayed focused and stayed
positive and understood that we
still have to serve our kids.
“It was hard every day, and
then there was uncertainty. You
watched – there was uncertainty
what was ahead of us each week.
But blue sky brought certainty,
finality, and we moved on.”
BSB: You told us in Boston
when the men’s basketball team
made the Final Four that there’s
Smith
not a lot of universities like Ohio
State that could have gone through what the
school went through and gotten through it
the way Ohio State did. What do you think it is
about Ohio State that allows it to do that?
Smith: “I think first and foremost, Buckeye
Nation is strong and deep. We have a great
institution that is stronger and stronger every
single year, a great, rich tradition and history. So we have a platform that allows us to
recover, and we’re in a great state. If you look
at Ohio and look at what we’re able to do, particularly in football, we’re able to recruit talent
in our state and then obviously go outside of
it, but we have a great base. It allows us to
recover faster.”
BSB: It’s been more than six months
since you hired Urban Meyer. He hasn’t
coached a game yet …
Smith: “(Laughs) I remind him that.
He hasn’t played a game yet, so enjoy the
moment.”
BSB: He is undefeated, but I think at the
time you said you thought you’d hired the
best coach in America. How has the working
relationship been there?
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Smith: “It’s been great. He’s done everything the right way. He’s very communicative,
so we’re always texting or calling one another.
He’s just on top of things. I really meant what
I said when I introduced him, and I still introduce him this way.
“We are all the sum of our experiences,
and for him to have that experience at Bowling
Green and then go to a Utah, which is culturally
a totally different place, and then go to Florida
– culturally a different place – as the CEO, what
a growth opportunity to go through that.
“But the greatest unique thing that we’d
all love to have in life is a chance to step away
from our jobs for a year and evaluate, to pause
and say, ‘OK, what did I learn? What could I
have done better?’ And then to have a chance
in a role (as an ESPN commentator) to evaluate other people who do our job and then go
back in it – I think anybody that has that
opportunity has a chance to be better, so he
was ready on all levels.
“We’re in a great situation because of timing and place and everything that we’re able
to get him here, but he’s done a great job
– his staff, recruiting, current kids, community
work, work around the state. He’s in Cincinnati
and Cleveland throwing out the first pitch (at
Reds and Indians games in June). He’s been
everywhere, and that’s what we needed him
to do to help us move forward and continue to
move toward our goals. It’s been great.”
BSB: I have to ask about current events.
His contract was released the other day, and
there was strong compliance-related language
in that. I think the answer is obvious, but what
prompted you to make that clear when you
approached that?
Smith: “Well, we already had a pretty
strong contract with compliance things in it,
but the learning experience over this past year
afforded us (a chance) to look at it differently
and put some more things in it that made it
stronger. We were more definitive (in terms
of) communication, so it was important to do.
We beefed it up a little bit.”
BSB: And he’s a guy that hasn’t had any
troubles where he’s been before.
Smith: “No, no, a clean background from
that perspective, so we were fortunate. I know
he probably peeked at it, but it’s not something that we have to say, ‘How are you doing
relative to your contract?’ We don’t live that
way, but we felt it was important to protect one
another, not just us but him as well.”
BSB: Speaking of compliance, there was
talk last summer and into the fall that there
was going to be a university-wide look at the
way compliance things were done. Has that
resulted in any changes in the way you do
things or any changes since things have happened in the past year?
Smith: “We’ve made a number of procedural changes in how we manage our compliance
and how we do certain things. The university
is looking at a vice president for compliance
that would collapse athletics with other units
on campus like the medical center, research
and some other areas. Texas does it, and the
greatest thing about that is it takes people who
do the same job and it brings them together,
the intellectual properties in the same room,
the regulatory mind-set, so to speak. They can
share ideas and experiences and best practices, and we can do better things because of
what we might learn from research.
“It’s actually happened in our academic
area. We moved our academic support in 2006
into our provost’s office, and we found that our
athletic academic counselors working with the
college counselors on a closer basis day to
day, we got better.
COVER STORY
“Then as far as inside, it’s just procedures
on how we track our cars, how we track housing, things of that nature – procedural things,
paperwork-type of things. Education, there
was a huge change in the way we educate.
More small groups as opposed to big groups,
a little bit more focus that way.”
BSB: Finishing up the football aspect of
this, I have to ask this, as you look back over
the past year and everything that happened
starting from March 8 when we had that press
conference (to announce Tressel’s NCAA violations), is there anything that you wish you or
the department had done differently through
the whole thing?
Smith: “Obviously, we wish we weren’t
there, first and foremost, but of course. You’re
always looking in the rearview mirror for a
short period of time to make sure you learned
everything from the experience, and then you
move on. The things that we felt we needed to
improve upon, we’ve done that. We’ve looked
in the rearview mirror, evaluated, shut it
down, move on. So that’s where we are.”
BSB: Anything you care to elaborate on?
Smith: “No, just more compliance things.
We had those accusations about the cars, so
we strengthened our registration program.
There were no findings there, but we looked
at it and said, ‘You know what? We probably
could strengthen this part and this part.’ So we
have a little bit better checks and balances on
that, things of that nature. But obviously the
biggest thing is we wish we weren’t there.”
BSB: I wanted to switch gears and talk
about academic success. When I talked to
Coach Meyer at the Scholar-Athlete Dinner,
he mentioned talking to you about how he was
stunned by how many people were there. He
had never heard of an athletic department that
was succeeding that way academically. What
leads to that, in your eyes?
Smith: “It was huge. We had 548 ScholarAthletes, and the main thing for us, when I
came here in 2005 and looked at our academic
support program, we did not have an individualized focus. My whole mantra was, ‘Guys,
we have to shift gears. We have to take this
athlete and figure out, what are their strengths
and what are they deficient at?’
“So we were able to develop individualized
academic game plans for each athlete that
comes in here. Obviously, a lot of them are
very strong, but for even the strong ones, how
do we help them get postgraduate scholarships? This past year we had $64,000 that
was won by student-athletes and postgraduate
scholarships. We focus on both ends.
“If you’re deficient, how do we strengthen
that? How do we encourage you to be as
competitive in the classroom as you are on the
field or in the gym? That’s our mantra – and in
the first six weeks. How do we strengthen that
deficiency? If it’s math or English composition,
whatever it is, how do we help you overcome
that and give you the confidence to be competitive in the classroom?
“I’m pretty passionate about that because
I’m a product of that. That was what I grew up
with in the public school system in Cleveland.
When I went to school, I had deficiencies, and
I know I was able to overcome them because
of that focus. We have a great focus. We have a
great academic support team, and our coaches
recruit great kids. The numbers are working
for us.”
BSB: Where did the idea for individualized academic plans come from?
Smith: “It was groupthink. I led the discussion with our people. The institution had
already started looking at whether we should
change the location of athletic academic services, so in 2006, we actually made it happen.
“We had apprehension because anytime
you take a big unit and give it to somebody else,
there’s a loss of control – ‘Will it really work
the way we theoretically think it will?’ And it’s
worked marvelously. In fact, the benefits that
were derived, we didn’t even project some of
them. So the collaboration and the communication, the access to faculty, are so much better
because it’s in the provost’s office and not in our
office. Our student-athletes are better served.
“A lot of this is personal because I went to
a public school all the way to ninth grade, and
I struggled when I made the transition into
private school for my last three years. I know
that some of our young people come to us and
they are deficient in some areas, so I don’t
want it to be a group thing. I don’t want 15
guys sitting in a room for two hours at study
table with the books open and we’re praying
that they’re reading.
“I want a check-in system and a check-out
system. I want an interview with them when
they walk out of the room and ask, ‘Tell me,
what did you learn in those five chapters that
you read?’ Then you let them go.
“So that’s something that we really focused
on that a lot of people don’t see. It’s really one
of the coolest things that we do. And we hired
math learning specialists and writing learning
specialists in 2007. Those are people who actually focus strictly on strengthening those tools
and helping you overcome that deficiency so
that you can rock and roll in the classroom.
“It all comes together. It’s happening, and
our numbers are showing it. Football is huge,
and then it’s the culture of the coaches. Our
coaches bought in. They want to recruit talented kids, but they also make sure that our
kids take the time to study and get it done the
right way. They’ll pull you off the field or pull
you out of the pool or whatever.
“Now that Scholar-Athlete Dinner, everybody wants to be there. It’s just grown. I think
it was 434 (student-athletes) in 2006 and now
it’s 548. It’s a huge jump. Next year, it’s got to
be bigger. This year we had 900-some athletes
– close to 1,000, so we should be (getting
bigger). We have a big number so we should
grow every year. I love that part.”
BSB: And then in a similar vein of things
people don’t talk about as much is the Olympic
sports. It’s two consecutive top-five Directors’
Cup finishes. Does that speak to the overall
plan that you have in place and the overall
health of the athletic department?
Smith: “It really does. We talk about it a
lot. Sometimes we create posters and put up
Directors’ Cup posters, and we have it on our
webpage. Our coaches know where their team
stands. Everybody watches that thing because
that’s where we want to be. One day, we want
to knock Stanford off the perch. Since its
inception in 1994, I think North Carolina is the
only other school that’s ever won it. We want
to knock Stanford off. We have to figure it out.
Maybe if we add a sport like archery or something, or bowling would be cool (laughs).”
BSB: If only you still had the bowling alley
from the old Ohio Union from back in the day.
Smith: “That’s right! But our coaches
buy into (the Directors’ Cup standings), our
athletes buy into it. They know about it, they
track it. It’s a standard that you’re measured
by, and even to be in the top five is phenomenal when you look at the schools. We’re four
straight years in the top 10. That’s huge.”
BSB: One thing I’ve wanted to ask is
something I’ve noticed recently. When you
got here, you had a lot of coaches who were
very successful who had been entrenched for
a while. You had a lot of facilities that were
built up by Andy Geiger, and he left things in
good hands for you.
Smith: “He did, oh my goodness.”
BSB: But recently, you’ve had some longterm coaches who have left. You’ve had the
whole thing that happened with football. Does
this maybe feel more like your athletic department than it ever has before?
Smith: “It’s funny, I’ve never operated
that way.”
BSB: I figured you would say that, but it’s
struck me recently.
Smith: “That’s not my mantra.”
BSB: There is change happening,
though.
Smith: “There is change, no question.
But I’ve never thought of it as mine. It’s
ours, the institution. I’ve just never thought
of it that way, but my predecessor Andy did a
marvelous job doing the heavy lifting. The stadium was huge, that renovation. Building The
Schott was significant. Bill Davis Stadium is
phenomenal. Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
is an unbelievable facility.
“My thing when I came from a facilities
point of view was to continue to focus on the
Olympic sport facilities, so we dealt with the
softball facility, we dealt with indoor tennis, we
moved field hockey out of the football practice
area so we could have a football complex.
“People don’t see all those moves, but the
football piece was very important to us, to
build that football practice complex with lights
and towers so football has its place, everything
contiguous. You talk to Urban about that and
he’ll tell you there’s no better place in the
country where your offices are in there in
the indoor facility next to the outdoor fields.
Everything is there in that space.
“We added some practice fields and some
grass fields because you can’t have enough
grass fields with all the sports we have, not
just for the individual sports but for camps.
We have 9,500 campers here in less than
five weeks this summer, so they’re all over
the place. So I had to focus on those facilities
and we have others down the road we’ll be
focused on.
“And then with the coaches, there’s a leadership time for the right people, and sometimes change is necessary because of the time.
We’ve had some changes, and we’ve been
blessed to hire some good coaches. I think
Mark Osiecki in ice hockey is going to do a
great job. (Baseball coach) Greg Beals is going
to be phenomenal. We just hired Ed Beathea
in track. We’re coming off one of the top five
recruiting classes in track, so it’s a huge part of
that. Change occurs, and we just have to make
sure we find good leaders so that we can stay
on this trajectory that we’re on.”
BSB: The news came out recently about
the possibility of playing the 2013 spring game
in Cincinnati. You’re a Cleveland guy, so I’m
sure you’ve heard from people in Cleveland
who have had their say.
Smith: “I got a couple of texts (laughs).”
BSB: But is it good to take the spring
game somewhere else to draw interest, or
would you rather it be here?
Smith: “Of course we prefer to have it
at home in the ’Shoe. We’re renovating the
’Shoe next year, which is critical. We’ll start as
soon as the season is over, and we’ll phase it
to a point where we can hold commencement
because we couldn’t get in the way of commencement. We have to do that.
“Urban and I have discussed it. We’ve been
to Cleveland – with intent. I talked to Thad
about playing in Cleveland and we played
Cleveland State there. We did the two-for-one
deal (in football) with Toledo and played in
Cleveland (at Cleveland Browns Stadium in
2009).
“As we talked about it, we just felt like it’s
Cincinnati’s turn. We need to have a presence
in Cincinnati. We hadn’t been there in a couple
of years, so we decided that it made sense. We
looked at Columbus Crew Stadium, we looked
at Massillon, Ohio, but Cincinnati has a large
stadium and we just haven’t been down there in
a while, so it seemed like the right thing to do.”
To read Smith’s thoughts on the recently
agreed upon college football playoff, see page
11.
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Sullinger Slips In NBA Draft, Picked By Celtics
Had Jared Sullinger formulated a thought
a few months ago about what he’d be doing
the day of the 2012 NBA draft, he likely would
have placed himself in a custom-made suit in
the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., waiting
to hear his name called along with the other
top college players in attendance.
Instead he sat in Eddie George’s Grille 27
near the Ohio State campus with a group of
his closest friends and family June 28 before
he was selected by the Boston Celtics with the
21st pick in the first round.
COURT REPORT
Ari Wasserman
It’s a far cry from where many thought
Sullinger would be drafted even before he
ever played a minute of college basketball, but
the former Buckeye forward told the media
after he was selected that landing in Boston,
albeit down on the draft boards, was a “blessing in disguise.”
“When you’ve got a team that took the
Miami Heat to seven games and you have a
core (group of veterans) like Kevin Garnett,
Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo,” he said, “to be
able to go in there and learn from somebody
like Kevin Garnett, it’s just a blessing.”
The fall down the draft boards didn’t cost
Sullinger only a reserved seat at the NBA
draft, but his initial contract with the Celtics
will be millions of dollars less than the one
he would have signed had he been drafted in
the lottery like most had projected his entire
career.
Despite being a projected top-five selection
after his freshman season, Sullinger returned
to Ohio State for a second year. His father,
Satch, told BSB that move wasn’t something
the family now regrets because it was something the forward needed to do in order to be
fully ready for the next level.
In his second year at Ohio State, Sullinger
found more success, repeating as a first-team
All-American and helping Thad Matta’s program earn its second consecutive Big Ten
regular-season title and a trip to the Final
Four.
Despite his continued dominance on the
floor as a sophomore – Sullinger averaged
17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game – questions lingered after he suffered from back
spasms following OSU’s blowout win over
Duke in late November that caused him to
miss two games.
Sullinger, of course, participated fully in
the remainder of Ohio State’s season, but at
times he didn’t look as explosive as onlookers had become accustomed to early in his
career.
Concerns about back issues became a hotbutton issue after ESPN.com reported that
some team doctors who examined the big
man marked him as a red flag for “back issues
that could shorten his NBA career” just weeks
before the draft.
Satch Sullinger told BSB the injury wasn’t
career-threatening and shouldn’t affect his
productivity if he uses the proper health precautions, including stretching methods and
care from the team’s physicians.
The uncertainty of Sullinger’s health, however, was likely the reason he fell as deep in
the draft as he did. Though there’s no denying
the appeal of partaking in the NBA draft firsthand, Sullinger said he was pleased to spend it
with the ones who joined him on Ohio State’s
campus for the big night.
“If you look at every person who was
in here, they helped me get to this spot,”
Sullinger said. “A lot of guys complain about
not being in the green room. I was actually
excited when I didn’t get invited because that
Ohio
way I could spend it with all my family and not
just some.”
Despite being drafted in the lower half of
the first round, Sullinger is viewed by most
experts as a value pick. Satch Sullinger had
no reservations describing the type of player
Boston will have on its roster next season.
“They (got) one of the top five players in
this year’s draft, period,” Satch Sullinger said.
“He has done it over and over and over again.
The bottom line is they’re going to get a basketball player. They might not get an athlete,
but they’re going to get a basketball player.”
Matta agreed.
“Boston will be getting a quality person
and a tremendous basketball player,” Matta
said. “Jared was an integral part of our success
the last two years, and I suspect he will be
equally successful in the years to come. This
is a day the Sullinger family has been looking
forward to for many years. I know they are
proud of Jared’s accomplishments and will be
avid supporters throughout his professional
career.”
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has
become known as one of the best in the business, especially after putting together Boston’s
“Big Three” of Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen
that won the NBA championship in 2008.
Ainge has been known for making value
picks in the draft, too, and the latest example
was Avery Bradley in the 2010 NBA draft.
Bradley was a projected lottery pick that
season, but an ankle injury before the draft
caused him to slip down the boards.
Boston grabbed him at No. 19 and now
Bradley could be establishing himself as the
organization’s starting shooting guard moving
forward. Despite concerns with Sullinger’s
back, Ainge has visions that the Buckeye is
more than able to live up to his college billing.
“We didn’t necessarily draft on need,
although big guys are hard to find,” said
FILE PHOTO
SWAPPING COLORS – Former Ohio
State men’s basketball player Jared
Sullinger (left) was drafted by the
Boston Celtics on June 28 with the
21st overall pick in the NBA draft.
Ainge, who also selected Syracuse big man
Fab Melo at No. 22. “We’re really excited
about the results. When the day started I
didn’t think he’d be there at 21. We got wind
that the back issues were causing him to slip
in the draft. He was projected a lot higher, so
we’re fortunate to get him.”
Ainge did acknowledge that there are some
long-term concerns with Sullinger’s back but
was confident the team’s medical staff could
help the big man succeed for a long time in
the NBA with proper care.
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OHIO STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL
“We were concerned,” Ainge admitted.
“We did our research on the back issues and
we felt comfortable. There are some issues
there and our medical staff thinks that shortterm and long-term that there may be some.
(Celtics coach) Doc Rivers played with a
herniated disc for 13 years, so it may need
surgery at some point, it may not.”
The slip down the draft boards likely made
for some stress for Sullinger in the weeks
leading into it, but now the big man is focused
on continuing his basketball play as a professional.
“It’s great,” Sullinger said. “You couldn’t
go to a better place than Boston. Great fans.
I experienced a little bit of Boston when I was
there for the (NCAA) tournament. I think it’s
a blessing in disguise.
“I’m ready to dominate, ready to play as
hard as I can, ready to learn as fast as I can
and ready to win. That’s what it’s all about is
winning. I’m ready to win.”
Buford Goes Undrafted
The NBA draft came and went and former
Ohio State guard William Buford didn’t hear
his name called, another surprise given many
thought the guard was ready for professional
basketball after his sophomore season with
the Buckeyes.
Buford, who was named Mr. Basketball as
Ohio’s top prep player while at Toledo Libbey
in 2008, started four years at Ohio State, most
recently helping the Buckeyes reach the Final
Four. After not being drafted, Buford must try
to find an opportunity as a free agent and play
for an NBA team’s summer league squad as a
tryout for a coveted roster spot.
Despite the fact Buford averaged 14.5
points per game in his senior season, inconsistencies shooting the ball had a direct impact
on his three-point shooting percentage, which
dropped from 44.2 as a junior to 35.8 in his
final season.
Though conditioning was never an issue
for Buford in school – at least on the surface –
more concerns arose during his performance
at the NBA combine in Chicago where his 11.3
percent body fat was third highest among the
60 prospects evaluated. That is less than ideal
for a guard.
A report surfaced in the week after the draft
that Buford would work out with the Chicago
Bulls, but he may have to explore opportunities in Europe as former Buckeyes Jon Diebler
and David Lighty did a year earlier.
Hood Opts For Duke
Ohio State signed only one player in the
2012 recruiting class, but the Buckeyes’ staff
hoped it would land a big target via transfer
after courting former Mississippi State forward Rodney Hood for much of the past few
months.
Hood, a former AAU teammate of current
Buckeye LaQuinton Ross, opted instead to
transfer to Duke to play for Mike Krzyzewski
despite multiple reports that Ohio State was
the team to beat in the forward’s recruitment.
“Duke is self-explanatory,” Hood said after
picking the school during the last weekend in
June. “Coach (Krzyzewski) is the best coach in
college basketball, and their assistant coaches
are also great at developing pros. Duke is just
the highest level of college basketball.”
The 6-8, 204-pounder averaged 10.3 points
and 4.8 rebounds per game for Mississippi
State as a freshman before becoming the latest player to select Duke over the Buckeyes.
The Blue Devils also landed five-star power
forward Amile Jefferson of Wynnewood (Pa.)
Friends’ Central, who had OSU on his final
list, in the 2012 class.
Hood, who decided to leave Mississippi
State after head coach Rick Stansbury retired
in March, must sit out the 2012-13 season
per NCAA transfer rules. Hood was a fivestar small forward ranked the No. 26 overall
player in the 2011 recruiting class, according
to Scout.com.
Craft Has Procedure
Sophomore point guard Aaron Craft has
played with a bone chip floating in his left
ankle since high school and had surgery June
18 to remove it, an Ohio State spokesperson
confirmed with BSB.
Craft has been restricted to crutches and
has had a cast on his left foot in the time since
his surgery, but Ohio State expects he’ll be
back in a full capacity within the next month
and could be back to running by mid-July.
Though Craft averaged 10.4 points, 5.2
assists and 3.2 steals in five NCAA Tournament
games while helping lead the Buckeyes to the
Final Four, Matta mentioned before the Big
Ten tournament that the point guard was
dealing with an ankle injury that sometimes
yielded extreme pain.
“When it gets hit or it turns a certain
way, there’s some excruciating pain involved,”
Matta said. “But he kind of plays his way
(through it and) it goes away. I don’t know
how much it’s affected him. He wouldn’t tell
me if it did.”
Craft will continue to work out his upper
body during the recovery process but will
miss some summer activities with his team.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to begin preseason workouts in October, and the staff
expects him to be fully ready for those.
ets available at the St. John Arena box office
the day of the game.
• After not being drafted last year, Lighty
spent the season playing professionally in
Italy. However, Lighty returned to Cleveland
on May 12 and is working toward trying to
earn a roster spot with an NBA team.
Lighty worked out with the San Antonio
Spurs in early June, the Indiana Pacers on
June 21 and the Cleveland Cavaliers on June
28. Lighty may also try out for the Atlanta
Hawks or potentially join the organization’s
summer league team.
• Shooting guard Jalen Coleman, a 2015
prospect out of Indianapolis Cathedral, has
picked up scholarship offers from Purdue,
Notre Dame and Illinois. Coleman (6-4, 185)
has also garnered serious interest early from
Ohio State and has admitted to being intrigued
by Matta’s program.
“I had been out there before and I liked
it,” said Coleman, describing his June visit to
Ohio State. “I went to a football game where
they played Michigan State. It was a great
experience. It is one of the biggest schools in
the United States. I got to meet one of the best
post players in Jared Sullinger. I liked it and I
had fun at the team camp.”
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action July 7 when a number of former OSU
stars and other notable Ohioans take part in
“The Battle for Ohio,” a charity game sponsored by Ohio Homecoming, the Columbus
Bicentennial and Ohio State.
The game will pit a team representing
the Cleveland area with one representing
Columbus. Former OSU players Brian Brown,
Terence Dials, Diebler, Ivan Harris, Dallas
Lauderdale, Lighty, George Reese, Tony
Stockman, Damon Stringer, J.J. Sullinger,
Scoonie Penn and Evan Turner are expected
to take part.
Former OSU player Brad Sellers and
Columbus mayor Michael Coleman are slated
to coach the two teams with Clark Kellogg and
Ron Stokes named as honorary coaches.
The game will take place at noon with tick-
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OHIO STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Top Ohio Prospects On Ohio State’s Wish List
The hunt for talent in the rising senior class
is still ongoing, but Ohio State fans will want to
remember the names of at least three in-state
forwards for the class of 2014.
DOUBLE DRIBBLE
Marcus Hartman
Tom Jenkins, director of the Ohio Girls
Basketball Report talent evaluation service, told
BSB three members of the Sports City U AAU
team he sponsors have already received offers
to be Buckeyes – Alyssa Rice of Reynoldsburg
and Kettering Fairmont teammates Makayla
Waterman and Kathryn Westbeld.
Rice averaged 11.6 points per game last season as the Raiders went 26-1 and advanced to
the Division I state semifinals, where they lost
49-41 to defending state champion Twinsburg.
Twinsburg then topped Fairmont in the
championship game for the second consecutive season, this time by a 57-51 score.
Rice and Westbeld were both named second-team All-Ohio choices in Division I, an
honor Waterman likely would have contended
for had she not missed about half the season
while recovering from major knee surgery.
Waterman tore the ACL in her left knee
in June 2011 at a camp at the University of
Tennessee. She returned for a 58-50 win over
Centerville on Jan. 4 and ended up playing
in 17 games. For the season, she averaged
9.6 points per game, and she appeared to get
stronger as the campaign wore on. Waterman
scored in double figures in her last seven
games, including 17 in a regional final victory
over Mason.
Jenkins estimated she is playing this summer at about 75 percent in terms of skill. He
praised her passion for the game and noted
she plays with the basketball IQ one would
expect from the daughter of a coach, which
she is.
“She is an exceptional passer,” Jenkins
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Vol. 31, No. 12
“For The Buckeye Fan Who Needs To Know More”
Ohio State Gets Its
Man; Meyer Returns
To Native State
Nov. 30, 2011
Streak
Snapped
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By JEFF SVOBODA
‘This Is The Right Time
For Urban Meyer’
SONNY BROCKWAY
WELCOME HOME – Urban Meyer flashes a smile Nov. 28 during a press conference to introduce him as the new head
coach of the Ohio State football team.
By JEFF SVOBODA
Urban Meyer is many things.
He’s as intense as any football coach in the profession having idolized Woody Hayes and learned from
two noted disciplinarians in his father, Bud, and former
Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce.
He’s an offensive innovator, having developed
a spread-option attack that led to great success at
Bowling Green and Utah before tweaking it on the way
to two national titles at Florida.
He’s certainly a winner, having compiled a 104-23
record over 10 seasons despite taking over a trio of
programs in various stages of disrepair.
But most of all, Urban Meyer is a Buckeye.
That part has always been true – born in Toledo,
raised in Ashtabula and educated at Cincinnati, he
was forged in all corners of the state – but it became
even more official Nov. 28 when he was announced
as the 24th head coach of the Ohio State football
program.
“It’s great to be back home,” Meyer said.
He proved that in multiple ways.
Meyer addressed the media – many of whom he
remembers from working as a graduate assistant at
OSU in the 1980s – while wearing a scarlet tie dotted
with Buckeye leaves, and he described with reverence
the time he visited Hayes’ office.
He also poignantly talked about how he used to
sneak out of the locker room to see the Ohio State
University marching band take the field before home
games.
“I would look at the clock, shoot down the stairs and
just watch the band come out, play ‘Across the Field,’
and march across the field,” he said.
Upon seeing the sight again this September while
working as an ESPN broadcaster for the game against
Akron, Meyer admitted, “I was wiping tears out of my
eyes and all the memories came back.”
Now he’ll have the chance to make even more.
While stopping short of guaranteeing success –
when asked about how quickly he could win the
national championship, he quipped with a smile,
“I’m just trying to get to tomorrow” – he pledged a
relentless work ethic that became his trademark at
earlier stops.
The first step in that will be assembling a coaching staff, which will include predecessor Luke Fickell.
While Meyer said he wasn’t sure what Fickell’s title
will be, he assured reporters that it would be substantial, and Fickell will continue to coach the team in the
upcoming bowl game.
In the meantime, Meyer will focus on filling out
the rest of his staff while also hitting the recruiting
trail – beginning the night of his hiring – in an effort
to keep Ohio State one of the top programs in the
country.
In the span of a year, the Ohio State football
program had seen its tectonic plates shift like
never before. The proud Buckeyes had lost
their legendary head coach and their potential
Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback as well
as five games in the regular season for the
first time in more than a decade.
The one thing left going into the Nov.
26 showdown with No. 17 Michigan in Ann
Arbor, it seemed, was the team’s unprecedented seven-game winning streak against
its most hated rival.
But in the end, the lost season for the
2011 Ohio State football team had to end in
a loss.
Even with the benefit of one of its best
offensive showings of the year, the Buckeyes
dropped a 40-34 decision to the Wolverines,
capping one of the most tumultuous 12month spans in the history of the program.
“It’s been a very, very trying 12 months,”
senior center Mike Brewster admitted.
With the loss, Ohio State fell to 6-6 to post
its first non-winning regular season since
the 1999 team posted the same record. The
team’s 3-5 mark in Big Ten play was its first
losing conference record since that same
campaign.
The loss was, in many ways, a prism
through which to view the entirety of the
12-game playing schedule. The Buckeyes
made their fair share of good things happen,
just as they had all year, and true freshman
quarterback Braxton Miller overcame some
youthful errors to make a number of impressive plays.
On the other hand, too many mistakes
– both in strategy and execution – made the
team fall shy of the victory, its fifth loss of
the year by seven points or fewer. Injuries
and ineffectiveness combined with inexperience – problems all season long – to conspire
to keep the team on the losing side of the
ledger.
But perhaps most importantly, this edition of the Scarlet and Gray went down
swinging, just as it had in so many of the
previous losses.
“You saw the fight,” head coach Luke
Fickell said. “That’s what this game is always
about. It’s not about talent, it’s about heart.
It’s about will. Obviously we didn’t get the
job done today, but you can’t walk away from
those seniors and those guys and not say
they gave it everything they had.”
Continued On Page 8
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said. “She really likes to pass the basketball,
sometimes to a fault because she gives up
some opportunities that could help her team
because she wants to make the pass.”
He also praised her hands while describing
her as “extremely active on the glass and very
physical and willing to mix it up.”
Waterman has a prior connection to
Ohio State in her paternal grandfather, Ben
Waterman. He served on the staff of legendary
Buckeye men’s basketball head coach Fred
Taylor from 1970-76 and was the first AfricanAmerican basketball coach in the Big Ten.
As for Westbeld, Jenkins said she brings
a physical element to the game for the
Firebirds.
“Kathryn Westbeld is probably the best
finisher against contact there is in the state
regardless of class,” Jenkins said. “She will
stick opponents and the basketball in the
basket.”
Westbeld averaged 15.1 points, 9.8
rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game last season.
She hit 53.2 percent of her field goals and shot
63.5 percent from the free-throw line.
“She is very versatile and has very lively
feet,” Jenkins said. “She has the ability to guard
on the perimeter as well as handle anybody on
the inside.”
At 6-3, Rice checks in taller than either of
the Fairmont teammates who are both 6-1, and
Jenkins noted her exceptional length.
“Alyssa is extremely athletic and extremely
skilled,” Jenkins said. “At 6-3, she has the ability to step out and shoot the three.
“She’s what I call a ‘stretch 4’ because she
can play the 4 slot and really stretch the floor
because you have to guard her. She can run
and get ahead of the pack. She can outrun
anybody matched up against her rim to rim,
and I would venture to say there are very few
people in the country who can keep up with
her at that size.”
All three players are four-star prospects
and ranked in the national top 25 by ESPN
HoopGurlz. Rice, Waterman and Westbeld
check in respectively as the Nos. 2, 6 and 8
forwards in the country.
With two years of high school left, their
recruiting is just starting to heat up this summer, but Ohio State can figure to face significant competition for their services.
National Scope For Seniors
As for the 2013 class, Ohio State has no
verbal commitments but is reportedly involved
with a handful of highly regarded prospects
from out of state – Chicago Whitney Young
guard Linnae Harper, Culver (Ind.) Military
Academy forward Andrijana Cvitkovic and
Ossining, N.Y., guard Saniya Chong.
In June, the 6-2 Cvitkovic told the Journal
& Courier of Lafayette, Ind., she has interest in Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Dayton,
Marquette, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and
Stanford. Her recruiting figures to be delayed,
however, as she planned to spend much of
the summer in Europe playing for the Under18 national team of her home country of
Croatia. ESPN rates her the No. 15 forward
in the country and 45th overall regardless of
position.
Chong, a 5-9 guard, told the New Haven
(Conn.) Register in May she was considering
Ohio State along with Connecticut, Miami
(Fla.), Maryland, North Carolina and Louisville
but was not far along in her decision-making
process. She is not ranked.
The 5-6 Harper has offers from Ohio State,
Notre Dame, Connecticut, DePaul, Kentucky,
Miami (Fla.), Louisville, UCLA and South
Carolina, according to CSNChicago.com. She
is rated the No. 2 guard and No. 5 player overall in the country.
In Ohio for 2013, the Buckeye coaching
staff has shown interest in 5-9 Twinsburg
guard Ashley Morrissette and 5-6 Columbus
Northland guard Alexis Peterson but is not
believed to have made an official offer to
either.
Michigan, Indiana and Virginia Tech are
among those recruiting Morrissette while
Peterson has offers from Syracuse, Virginia
Tech and Northwestern.
Ohio State could be waiting to see what
happens with some of the national prospects
it is pursuing before pulling the trigger on
Morrissette or Peterson.
Sophomore Receives Offer
The Buckeye coaching staff has already
been active in the 2015 class as well, as evidenced by a reported offer to Jaylen Williams
of Braintree (Mass.) Bishop Williams.
Scott Hazelton, who coaches Williams
with the Massachusetts Rivals AAU team, told
ESPNBoston of the offer, but he was not the
only one to break the news.
Williams’ brother, Camren, used his Twitter
page to congratulate her on June 12.
“(Shout out) to my sister Jaylen Williams
on getting offered by THE Ohio State for basketball! She’s only a freshman in high school!
Future buckeye?” he wrote to his almost 3,000
followers.
Camren Williams is an incoming freshman for the Buckeye football team. He was a
four-star outside linebacker at West Roxbury
(Mass.) Catholic Memorial who verbally committed to Ohio State in January after previously
pledging to Penn State.
Jaylen Williams is not yet rated as a recruit,
but Hazelton said she has interest from Big
East and ACC programs along with Ohio
State.
Prahalis Excels Early
Samantha Prahalis left Ohio State as the
school’s all-time leader in assists, and she
appears to have picked up where she left off
now that she is in the WNBA.
The 5-7 rookie was fourth in the league with
5.2 assists per game through July 1. She averaged 12.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals
per game while starting all 13 contests for the
Phoenix Mercury, who made her the No. 6
pick in the draft in April.
Despite the contributions of its rookie point
guard, the team was not off to a good start.
The Mercury was in fifth place in the six-team
Western Conference with a record of 4-9 as of
the beginning of July.
They were struggling without star guard
Diana Taurasi, who had played only two games
while struggling with a strained left hip flexor.
She missed all of June with the injury.
Phoenix found itself 8½ games out of first
place and 1½ games behind Seattle, which was
getting a solid 27.8 minutes per game from
14-year pro Katie Smith. The Buckeye started
11 of the Storm’s first 14 games and averaged
7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists while
making 22 of 55 three-point attempts (40.0
percent).
A third Buckeye in the league is Jessica
Davenport, a sixth-year center averaging 7.2
points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks through 13
games including a pair of starts for Indiana.
Finally there is Jantel Lavender. The second-year forward averaged 6.3 points and 4.8
rebounds in 16 games, including one start,
through July 1 for the Los Angeles Sparks,
who were in second place in the West with a
10-6 record.
BIG TEN NOTES
Sandusky Found Guilty In Sex Abuse Case
Former Penn State defensive coordinator
Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts
of child sex abuse on June 22 as the scandal
that surrounds the university continues to
rage.
The most recent story to emerge involves
emails between university higher-ups that
were seized during Penn State’s internal investigation – led by former FBI director Louis
Freeh – and turned over to the authorities.
BIG TEN NOTES
Jeff Svoboda
CNN reported June 30 that it had seen the
emails, allegedly sent between school president Graham Spanier, university vice president
Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley.
Spanier was forced to resign in the wake of the
scandal while Schultz and Curley await trial
on perjury charges and charges of failing to
prevent abuse.
The cable news giant reported the content of the emails was about a 2001 incident
in which Penn State football assistant Mike
McQueary found Sandusky – a PSU coach
who retired in 1999 but still had access to the
team facilities and was part of The Second Mile
charity that helped at-risk boys – engaged in
aggressive sexual conduct with a boy in a team
shower.
McQueary first told Paterno and then
Schultz and Curley about what he witnessed.
According to the emails CNN claims it saw,
Schultz and Curley agreed in late February
2001 to talk to Sandusky while contacting The
Second Mile and the state department of child
welfare about the coach’s possible actions.
However, Curley writes in an email a few
days later that after more thought and a discussion with legendary head coach Joe Paterno,
he would prefer to keep the situation in-house
while attempting to steer Sandusky toward
professional help.
Schultz appears to agree, noting, “This is
a more humane and upfront way to handle
this.”
Spanier also appears to be on board with
the plan, CNN said, but notes that the school
and the administrators could be liable in the
future for not reporting the incident – which
they never did.
The email chain also brings into question
the actions of Paterno, college football’s alltime winningest coach who was forced out
because of the scandal and died in January of
lung cancer.
After a long grand jury investigation that
ended in November 2011, Sandusky originally
was charged with 52 counts of abuse against
10 boys, many of whom offered detailed and
graphic testimony at his trial that began June
11.
That total does not include adopted son
Matt Sandusky, 33, who released a statement
June 21 that he also had been abused by Jerry
as a child. He started the trial as a possible witness for the defense but offered to testify for
the prosecution as the proceedings got under
way.
Four of the counts were thrown out before
the jury was asked to deliberate. It returned
guilty verdicts on all but three of the remaining 48.
Sandusky, 68, will be sentenced within 90
days but figures to spend the rest of his life in
jail. He is currently at the correctional institute
in Camp Hill, Pa.
After the verdict was announced, Penn against Marquette (men) and Notre Dame
State released a statement.
(women) aboard the USS Yorktown in South
“The legal process has spoken and we have Carolina. Tom Izzo’s Michigan State squad
tremendous respect for the men who came and Connecticut are set to play overseas on an
forward to tell their stories publicly,” the state- active U.S. military base.
ment read. “No verdict can undo the pain and
The Spartans and Huskies are slated to
suffering caused by Mr. Sandusky, but we do play at Ramstein Air Base in Kaiserslautern,
hope this judgment helps the vicGermany, home of the U.S. Air
tims and their families along their
Forces in Europe. Should it
path to healing.
receive final approval from the
“The Board of Trustees and
Department of Defense, the game
current administration maintain a
is expected to be the first college
steadfast commitment to pursuing
basketball game ever in Europe.
the truth regarding Mr. Sandusky’s
“I asked my players if they
actions. While we cannot change
wanted to do it and they were
what happened, we can and do
jacked,” Izzo said. “Has a college
accept the responsibility to take
team ever played a regular-season
action on the societal issue of child
game in Europe? I don’t think so.
sexual abuse – both in our comIt will be cool. We’re going to a
munity and beyond.”
base in another country. That’s
Jerry Sandusky
The university also noted it had
pretty cool.”
established a confidential counseling service
for Sandusky’s victims and said it hoped to Big Ten Note-worthy
• Michigan has announced a number of
meet with victims about the “resolution of
claims against the university arising out of Mr. its future football nonconference schedules,
and there are a few interesting notes. The
Sandusky’s conduct.”
most anticipated game might come Aug. 30,
2014, when the Wolverines host Appalachian
Concussion Problem Tackled
One of the most prominent storylines in State in Michigan Stadium. The Division I-AA
sports right now deals with head injuries in Mountaineers stunned the Maize and Blue in
athletics. Researchers believe they have found the 2007 opener in one of the biggest upsets in
a link between contact suffered in sports and college football history.
U-M will also play Utah – which defeated
future degenerative brain issues suffered by
participants, especially those in high-impact Rich Rodriguez in his first game in the Big
House in 2008 – in 2014 and ’15 while taking
sports like football and hockey.
The Big Ten and Ivy League now plan to on the Utes’ fellow Pac-12 squads Oregon State
tackle research on the subject, with the two (2015) and Colorado (2016). Michigan and
well-respected academic unions partnering on Notre Dame also announced the teams will
a cross-institutional research collaboration to
study the effects of head injuries in sports.
Schools in the leagues have been doing
such research for more than two years, but the
hope is the new partnership, announced June
19, will allow for coordinated efforts, shared
resources and the development of a deeper
research network led by a common leadership
group.
“It will provide an incredible boost to our
ongoing efforts while reinforcing the priorities of institutional research and reciprocity
between some of the nation’s top academic
organizations,” said Iowa president Dr. Sally
Mason, Big Ten Council of Presidents/
Chancellors chair.
In May 2010, the Big Ten became the first
conference to establish a league-wide concussion management plan, while in 2011 the Ivy
League developed and enacted a series of
concussion-curbing measures in the sport of
football after a year-long review.
Degenerative brain issues have been linked
to health declines and even suicides in former
professional athletes, while former Ohio State
linebacker Andrew Sweat chose not to pursue
an NFL career in 2012 after suffering a series
of concussions.
take a hiatus from their traditional nonconference rivalry in 2018 and ’19.
• Rosters are continuing to be trimmed
across the league as football season nears.
Penn State announced in two separate releases that wideout Devon Smith and cornerback Derrick Thomas, potential starters, had
left the team because of personal reasons in
June. Meanwhile, Purdue running back Doug
Gentry, who ran for 91 yards in the team’s
spring game, left the Boilermakers for undisclosed reasons.
• The league announced June 28 that it,
the Pac-12 and the Tournament of Roses had
reached a deal with ESPN to continue televising the Rose Bowl. The new contract begins
in January 2015 and will run through 2026.
Under the provisions, ESPN will have the
rights to the game even if it ends up as part
of a rotation in the newly instituted college
football playoff.
• Four Big Ten players were taken as
the NBA held its annual draft June 28. In
addition to OSU’s Jared Sullinger, Illinois center Meyers Leonard, Michigan State forward
Draymond Green and Purdue forward Robbie
Hummel were picked. Leonard went 11th
overall to Portland, Green went in the second round (35th overall) to Golden State and
Hummel was chosen 58th by Minnesota.
• The Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando,
Fla., which hosts a Big Ten team on New Year’s
Day each year in the Capital One Bowl, is set
for a $140 million renovation. Construction
is set to begin in 2014 after Orlando mayor
Buddy Dyer said the city will set aside that
amount in bonds to fund the much-needed
renovation.
MSU To Play Abroad
Ohio State has turned heads in the college
sports industry with its tentative agreement to
have its men’s and women’s basketball teams
play aboard an aircraft carrier on Veterans Day
weekend in November.
Michigan State’s men’s team took on North
Carolina in the inaugural Carrier Classic a year
ago, and MSU athletic director Mark Hollis
– who has shown a bent for coming up with
outside-the-box ideas – was one of the driving
forces of that attention-grabbing contest.
Now, Hollis has his Spartans participating in a similar contest, also set for Nov.
9, the same day of OSU’s planned games
2012 LONDON OLYMPICS
Olympic Dreams Become Reality For 10
By JEFF SVOBODA
No matter how long it has been since one
has qualified to be an Olympian, the rush of
reaching the pinnacle of one’s sport doesn’t
subside easily.
That is true for the 10 current or former
Ohio State athletes who have punched their
tickets to London, England, for this year’s
Summer Games, which begin July 25.
Swimmer Samantha Cheverton, who qualified for the Canadian team in March, has had
a few months to acclimate herself to the reality that she’s an Olympic athlete, but it still
takes her by surprise every so often.
“Having qualified in March, I have had
some time to let the fact that I am going to
the Olympics sink in, even though I still have
times where I am just like, ‘Wait, what?!’ ”
Cheverton told BSB. “When I think of how I
am an Olympian for life and it is something
I will be able to tell my children about, I get
goose bumps.”
The feeling is much the same for Katie
Bell, an American diver who became the latest Ohio State athlete to qualify when she did
so at the U.S. trials June 24.
“I’m still in shock,” Bell said. “People keep
asking me if it feels real and how I’m feeling,
and I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to feel
real until I’m at the Games and at the athletes’
village and at the pool with USA behind me.”
Those who have qualified are in the midst
of preparing both mentally and physically for
the Olympics, not the simplest of tasks. In
addition to working on their craft, there has
been worldwide travel, training camps and
media attention.
“It’s been seriously crazy,” U.S. rifle shooter Amanda Furrer told BSB after qualifying.
“I’ve had interview requests and reporters
that want to come up to the house and see
baby pictures, the whole bit. It’s pretty cool.
It’s definitely a whirlwind, though.”
Final preparations have begun for the athletes, who have spread out across the country
and globe to train so that they can do their
best and perhaps even capture a medal on the
world’s biggest stage.
“My training has continued to be pretty
similar to what I was doing before trials,”
Cheverton said. “Every day that it gets closer
to the day I leave, the more excited I get. I am
starting to think about packing, travel, etc.,
and it is crazy to think that it is so soon.”
What follows are thumbnail profiles of
each OSU athlete to qualify.
Katie Bell, United States, diving – Bell
finished second to Brittany Viola – the daughter of former MLB pitcher Frank Viola – at
the U.S. trials in the 10-meter platform event
with 1,024.40 points. The 2009 U.S. platform
champion, Bell concluded her eligibility at
OSU in 2011 after earning All-America honors
in 2009 and ’11. She is the ninth OSU diver to
qualify for the Olympics under head coach
Vince Panzano and expects to be in the running for a medal.
“I think with all the best dives I’ve done,
I’m competing right up there with everyone,”
she said. “I know the list I did at the semifinals
of the Olympic trials, if I do that same list, I’ll
definitely be a contender for a medal.”
Samantha Cheverton, Canada, swimming – Cheverton took second at the
Canadian trials in her hometown of Montreal
in the 200-meter freestyle event, finishing
in 1:57.98. That qualified her for London,
where she will also compete in the 4x100 and
4x200 relays. In London, Cheverton will have
to contend with Italian swimmer Federica
Buckeyes In The Olympics
Katie Bell
United States • diving
Samantha Cheverton
Canada • swimming
Roger Espinoza
Honduras • soccer
Amanda Furrer
United States • rifle
George Markovic
Serbia • swimming
Mona Shaito
Lebanon • fencing
Zain Shaito
Lebanon • fencing
Margot Shumway
United States • rowing
Margarita Tschomakova
Claudia Wurzel
Italy • rowing
Pellegrini, who holds the 200 free world
record of 1:52.98. Cheverton completed her
eligibility in 2011, winning the Big Ten title in
the 200 freestyle as a senior.
Roger Espinoza, Honduras, soccer
– Espinoza has parlayed his excellent season
of play at Ohio State into quite the career. The
25-year-old – who had three goals and three
assists for a Buckeye squad that made the 2007
NCAA title game – is a regular in the Sporting
Kansas City lineup in Major League Soccer
and also competed in the 2010 World Cup for
his home nation. Each Olympic squad can
feature three players above the age of 23, and
Espinoza was named one of Honduras’ overage players June 21. La Bicolor Olimpica, who
finished winless at the ’08 Olympics, are drawn
in a group with Morocco, Spain and Japan.
“It’s very exciting and something I hoped
would happen in my career,” Espinoza said in
a press release. “The coach knows I am working really hard. I’m very happy and proud
to be given the opportunity to represent
Honduras.”
Amanda Furrer, United States, rifle
– The Ohio State junior topped the field in
the 50-meter three-position air rifle event
at the U.S. trials, qualifying June 9-11 with
a score of 1,957.9 to edge out fellow competitors Jamie Gray and Sarah Scherer. The
2007 Pan American Games bronze medalist
has made the NCAA meet each of her three
years at Ohio State, finishing seventh to earn
first-team All-America honors in 2010. Gold
medalist and Olympic record holder Du Li of
China returns to the event after scoring 690.3
in 2008; Furrer shot 688.4 in one segment of
the U.S. qualification.
George Markovic, Serbia, swimming
– Markovic actually had a qualifying time
to swim for his home country in 2008, but
he did not make it to Beijing because of
a citizenship issue. (Markovic was born in
Yugoslavia but his family fled the war-torn
country for Australia when he was young,
leaving him without Serbian citizenship).
That issue has been settled, though, and now
Markovic will be in London after achieving a
qualifying time of 3:52.58 in the 400 freestyle
(the world record is 3:40.07 by German Paul
Biedermann, who will compete). He will also
Bulgaria • fencing
swim the 4x100 relay. Markovic was a captain
on OSU’s 2010 Big Ten title team as a senior
and captured the league’s 500 free crown that
season before earning All-America honors.
Zain and Mona Shaito, Lebanon, fencing – The brother and sister each captured the
foil championship at the Asian and Oceanic
qualifiers in April to advance to London. The
two helped Ohio State to the national championship in 2012, as Zain – a sophomore who
was named OSU’s male athlete of the year
– won the NCAA foil title and Mona, a freshman, finished third. Both hail from Texas but
have dual citizenship and will be representing
the home country of their father, Talal.
Margot Shumway, United States, rowing – Shumway graduated from Ohio State
in 2002 but is still making headlines after
qualifying for the Red, White and Blue. She
and partner Sarah Trowbridge will race in the
double sculls following their first-place finish
with a time of 7:03.96 at a multinational qualifying event in Switzerland in May. Shumway
came to OSU as a walk-on in 2001 but helped
the Second Varsity Eight to the Big Ten title
a year later, and she competed in the 2008
Beijing Games as well.
Margarita Tschomakova, Bulgaria,
fencing – A senior in 2012, Tschomakova
secured one of four spots in women’s sabre at
the European qualifier in Slovakia in April. She
outlasted Great Britain’s Joanna Hutchison in
the round of eight to qualify. Tschomakova
– who has dual citizenship with Germany
after being born in Bonn – finished seventh at
the NCAA meet in 2012 after taking fifth in ’11
and third in ’10.
Claudia Wurzel, Italy, rowing – Wurzel
was the first Buckeye to secure qualification,
doing so in September 2011 when she and
partner Sara Bertolasi won the “B” final at the
2011 world championships in Slovenia with a
time of 7:22.67. Wurzel lettered at OSU from
2007-09 and helped the Buckeyes to top-10
NCAA finishes each year.
In addition, Ohio State assistant wrestling
coach Lou Rosselli has been named a volunteer coach alongside United States head man
Zeke Jones. Rosselli, a 1996 Olympian as a
competitor, is a three-time coach of the U.S.
world championships freestyle team.
He will have one familiar face there, as
U.S. heavyweight qualifier Tervel Dlagnev
has been training at Ohio State as part of the
Ohio Regional Training Center residency
program.
Some Fall Short
A number of Ohio State athletes ended up
just shy of qualifying for London, a group led
by Christina Manning.
The winner of two NCAA hurdles titles in
2012 and the Big Ten’s top female athlete of
the year, Manning breezed into the finals of
the 100-meter hurdles but finished fifth there.
Only the top three qualified, with Manning’s
time of 12.92 seconds just 0.06 behind thirdplace finisher Lolo Jones.
Also on the track, distance runners Jeff See
and Cory Leslie made the finals in the 1,500
meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase,
respectively, at the U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore.
Both finished ninth to see their bids come
to a close. See competed at OSU from 200510, earning six All-America honors, while
Leslie finished third at the NCAA meet in the
steeplechase in 2012 as a junior.
Gymnast Brandon Wynn figured he had
a good chance to go to London on the
strength of his rings skills, but he placed
ninth in the all-around at the trials during
the last weekend of June and did not make
the seven-man squad. He also finished
second in his signature event to qualifier
Jonathan Horton.
Ohio State sent 36 competitors to the U.S.
swimming trials, but the team’s best chance at
a bid fell short when Tim Phillips placed sixth
in the 100-meter butterfly on July 1. Phillips
took the 2011-12 season off to train for the
chance to go to London and will return to
OSU with two years of eligibility remaining.
Elliott Keefer, who completed his OSU
career in 2011, and Shannon Draves, a junior,
also made finals. Keefer took fifth in the men’s
200 breaststroke and Draves was seventh in
the women’s 200 butterfly.
Former OSU basketball player Byron
Mullens, who suited up for the Buckeyes in
2008, was in the preliminary player pool for
Great Britain – his mother is English – but
withdrew because of a toe injury.
BASEBALL IN
JULY
JULY 13 – 15
VS.
CARDINALS
Series presented by
Cincinnat Bell
REDS
JULY 20 – 22
VS.
BREWERS
REDS
FRI., JULY 13 – 7:10
SAT., JULY 14 – 4:05
FRI., JULY 20 – 7:10
SAT., JULY 21 – 7:10
Free Agent Friday
Reds Lawn Flag
Free Agent Friday
Reds Soft-Sided Cooler
presented by
Queen City Sausage
First 20,000 fans
presented by Holy Grail Tavern & Grille
Moerlein Lager House
Johnny Rockets
Toby Keith’s I this Bar & Grill
presented by
Holy Grail Tavern & Grille
Moerlein Lager House
Johnny Rockets
Toby Keith’s I this Bar & Grill
presented by Hebrew National
First 20,000 fans
Activities start at 5:40 with
pregame happy hour drink specials,
DJ Sab and more in the Fan Zone!
Activities start at 5:40 with
pregame happy hour drink specials,
DJ Sab and more in the Fan Zone!
Plus, wear your sticker out
immediately after the game to any
of the four participating locations
for a chance to win Reds prizes!
Fireworks Friday
Post-game
presented
by PNC show
Bankfeaturing a
soundtrack of Disney themes
and the stars of the “Zack
and Cody” show!
SUN., JULY 15 – 8:00
Meijer Sunday Deal
One person pays full
price and may purchase
tickets at half price*
*Some restrictions apply.
Schedule and promotions
subject to change.
Fireworks Friday
Meijer Family Day
Buy one ticket full-price, get the rest half
off! For details visit reds.com/family.
BASEBALL UNDER THE LIGHTS!
Kids Braided Necklace
presented by Delta Air Lines
First 8,000 kids
14 & younger
presented by Coopers Tires
SUN., JULY 22 – 1:10
Kids Mini
Mascot Set
SUNDAYS are FAMILY
DAYS at the ballpark!
presented by
Coca-Cola
One member of the family pays full
price and may purchase tickets at
half price*, thanks to Meijer
513-381-REDS (7337)
First 8,000 kids
14 & younger
SELECT
LOCATIONS
OHIO STATE SPRING GRADUATES
Champions, All-Americans Highlight Grad List
By MARCUS HARTMAN
Ohio State held its last spring quarter
commencement June 10, a day that saw 123
current and former Buckeye student-athletes
awarded degrees at Ohio Stadium.
Nine current or former football players were among the group, including Jake
Ballard, who has already had an eventful
calendar year.
The sport and leisure studies major
enjoyed a breakout 2011 season in the NFL
that included 38 catches for 604 yards and
four touchdowns. He won a Super Bowl ring
with the New York Giants in February, but
he suffered a serious knee injury in the game
that required surgery and will keep him on
the sideline for all of the upcoming season.
Two days after Ohio State commencement, Ballard learned he will not be back
in the Big Apple next season as the New
England Patriots – the team the Giants beat
for the NFL title – claimed him off waivers.
The Giants had hoped he would clear waivers and revert to the physically unable to perform list where he would not count against
their roster number during training camp,
but the team’s plans were scuttled.
He is not the only 2012 spring graduate
headed to Foxborough. Nate Ebner, a special teams standout the past three seasons
in Columbus, was drafted by the Patriots
in April and received his degree in human
nutrition at the conclusion of spring quarter.
Also graduating were two players with
one year of eligibility remaining – safety
Zach Domicone (marketing) and punter Ben
Buchanan (communications) – along with
Andrew Sweat, a marketing major who started at linebacker last season as a senior.
Among other notable graduates were
both of Ohio State’s 2012 Big Ten Medal of
Honor recipients, male swimmer Andrew
Elliott and female diver Bianca Alvarez.
A three-time Big Ten champion, All-Big
Ten honoree and NCAA individual qualifier,
Elliott was a 2011 All-American as a part of
the 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams
and holds the school record in the 100 and
200 backstroke. A team captain as a senior,
Elliott was a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete
and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and he won the NCAA’s Elite 88
Award for having the best GPA at the NCAA
championships in 2010. He will attend OSU’s
sports management graduate program.
Alvarez was an eight-time All-American, a
two-time Big Ten champion and the Big Ten
Diver of the Year in 2012, a year in which she
was the NCAA runner-up on the three-meter
springboard. Alvarez was a four-time OSU
Scholar-Athlete and a two-time Academic
All-Big Ten honoree. She plans to attend
graduate school for a master’s degree in
medical science.
Joe Bonanni became just the sixth player in Ohio State men’s lacrosse history
to become a United States Intercollegiate
Lacrosse Association All-American, earning
third-team honors as a senior in 2012. He
was also named to the prestigious USILA
Scholar All-America team. Bonanni is a fourtime Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and threetime Academic All-Big Ten selection.
A captain for Ohio State, he was a leader
on a Buckeye defense that ranked fourth
nationally and first in the East Coast Athletic
Conference in scoring defense this season.
Fellow lacrosse standout Matt Kawamoto
was an honorable-mention All-American as
a junior in 2011 when he was named the
ECAC Defensive Player of the Year. He and
Bonanni were the first Buckeyes named
USILA Scholar All-Americans. An injury limited his playing time as a senior, but he
saw action in 12 games, serving as a team
captain. He is a two-time Ohio State Scholarathlete and Academic All-Big Ten choice and
was a first-team Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
honoree.
Alayna Markwordt completed her career
as the Ohio State women’s lacrosse record
holder in career goals (181) and points (314)
and was second all-time in assists (133).
As a senior in 2012, she led the American
Lacrosse Conference and was fourth in the
NCAA in points per game (5.29) and fifth
in assists per game (2.88), total points (90)
and assists (49). Markwordt is a four-time
All-ALC selection and was named an AllAmerican in 2011 and ’12.
After she graduates, the Woodbine, Md.,
native hopes to build on her undergraduate
degree in dietetics with a master’s degree
from Ohio State’s School of Health and
Rehabilitation Sciences.
Shawn Sangrey was named a first-team
All-American by the American Volleyball
Coaches Association as a senior after picking
up second-team accolades as a sophomore.
He was a three-time first-team All-Midwestern
Intercollegiate Volleyball Association selection and the 2012 MIVA Player of the Year.
He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament
Team in 2011 when Ohio State captured
the first NCAA team title in program history. Sangrey was an Ohio State ScholarAthlete, Academic All-Big Ten selection and
Academic All-MIVA honoree.
A complete list of graduates, listed alphabetically by sport, and their majors follows.
Baseball – Andrew Armstrong, agribusiness; Brian Bobinski, finance; David
Corna, family resource management; David
Fathalikhani, biology; Paul Geuy, biology;
Brad Hutton, family resource management.
Women’s Basketball – Emilee Harmon,
criminology.
Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field
– Jacob Edwards, English; Adam Green,
communications; William Knickel, actuarial
science; Cory Leslie, sport and leisure studies; Daniel White, marketing.
Women’s Cross Country/Track and
Field – Jordan Jennewine, human nutrition;
Sarah Lowe, exercise science.
Fencing – Isabella Bonello, psychology;
Emily Cheng, English; Oksana Dmytruk,
health information management and systems; Allison Henvick, international studies; Trent Lundquist, international business;
Margarita Tschomakova, international business; Ognjen Vesic, international studies;
Dylan Walrond, economics.
Field Hockey – Alexandra Tunitis,
health sciences.
Football – Jake Ballard, sport and leisure studies; Ben Buchanan, communications; Bo DeLande, sport and leisure studies; Zach Domicone, marketing; Garrett
Dornbrook, mechanical engineering; Nate
Ebner, human nutrition; James Georgiades,
biology; Spencer Smith, marketing; Andrew
Sweat, marketing.
Men’s Golf – Michael Kinkopf, operations management; Jamie Sindelar, economics.
Women’s Golf – Nara Shin, art; Vicky
Villanueva, economics.
Men’s Gymnastics – Elliott Hardy, sport
and leisure studies.
Women’s Gymnastics – Rebecca
Best, textiles and clothing; Miranda Der,
FILE PHOTO
ANOTHER MILESTONE – Tight end Jake Ballard (86) was one of nine current
or former football players to receive his degree June 10 during Ohio State’s
spring commencement.
international studies; Taylor Jones, criminology.
Men’s Hockey – Danny Dries, personalized study program; Cal Heeter, marketing.
Women’s Hockey – Barbara Bilko, international studies; Teal Bishop, marketing; Christina
Mancuso, middle childhood education.
Men’s Lacrosse – Joe Bonanni, marketing; Matt Kawamoto, logistics management;
Scott Morell, communications; Michael
Smail, marketing; Brock Sorensen, communications.
Women’s Lacrosse – Laura Beck, communications; Gabby Capuzzi, communications; Kirsten Donahue, speech and hearing
science; Alayna Markwordt, human nutrition; Caylee Rafalko, human nutrition.
Pistol – Bryan Basenback, materials science and engineering.
Rifle – Jonathan Krabacher, international
studies; Jasmine Margaria, psychology; Nick
Novello, electrical and computer engineering; Maxwell Snyderman, mathematics.
Rowing – Sarah Cornish, art; Ashley
Dzurnak, psychology; Anniken Ellingsen,
hospitality management; Ellen Heister, history of art; Claudia Herpertz, psychology;
Charlene Jones, human nutrition; Jill Mohr,
nursing; Claudia Schiwy, hospitality management; Kathleen Sweeney, English.
Men’s Soccer – Eric Shrigley, communications.
Women’s Soccer – Katie Baumgardner,
sport and leisure studies; Colleen Brady,
health sciences; Lauren Cusick, human nutrition; Danielle Scoliere, marketing; Brooke
Taylor, psychology.
Softball – Karisa Medrano, radiologic sciences and therapy; Katie Simonton,
human development and family science.
Men’s Swimming and Diving – Andrew
Elliott, marketing; William Farrell, communications; Brent Hitchcock, biology; Quincy
Lee, civil engineering; Sean Moore, finance;
Stephen Sakaris, psychology; Daniel Smit,
finance; Andrew Spurling, actuarial science.
Women’s Swimming and Diving –
Bianca Alvarez, psychology; Kristen Asman,
exercise science; Jackie Brousseau, political
science; Lisa Narum, textiles and clothing;
Natalie Nichols, communications.
Synchronized Swimming – Monica
Finnigan, biology; Katherine Green, communications.
Men’s Tennis – Devin McCarthy, marketing; Balazs Novak, logistics management;
Steven Williams, logistics management.
Women’s Tennis – Paloma Escobedo,
communications.
Men’s Track and Field – Tyler Branch,
biology; Alan Dague, logistics management;
Thomas Davis, family resource management;
Matt DeChant, family resource management; William Gehring, accounting; Stephen
MacDonald, criminology; Aaron Roberts,
civil engineering; Barron Witherspoon, communications.
Women’s Track and Field – Norianna
Brown, sport and leisure studies; Jackie
Dim, family resource management; Kristen
Esterheld, criminology; Ashley Galbraith,
communications; Alana Gray, electrical and
computer engineering; Kelsey Kuzmic,
architecture; Shaniqua McGinnis, criminology; Alison Roquet, marketing; Jewelisa
Thompson, human development and family
science; Megan Thuney, communications.
Men’s Volleyball – Shawn Sangrey,
sport and leisure studies; Michael Stewart,
sport and leisure studies.
Women’s Volleyball – Kelli Barhorst,
English; Sarah Mignin, nursing.
Wrestling – Johnny Hiles, communications; Dominic Jontony, human development
and family science; Jared Kusar, molecular
genetics; Bo Touris, history.
BUCKEYE BRIEFS
Manning’s Hurdles Crown
Highlights Track Efforts
The 2011-12 athletics calendar came to a
close with a bang for Ohio State when senior
Christina Manning won her second national
title of the season at the NCAA outdoor track
and field championships June 6-9 in Des
Moines, Iowa.
Manning, who previously won the 60meter hurdles event at the NCAA indoor
championships in March, crossed the line
first in the 100-meter hurdles with a time
of 12.89 seconds while running into a headwind.
She passed Clemson’s Brianna Rollins
(12.91) and Bridgette Owens (13.10) just
before the finish.
“I was really ready,” said Manning, who
was a semifinalist for the Bowerman Award
given to the top track athlete in the country.
“I was doing really good starts in warmups.
I feel like here my start wasn’t that great, so
instead of panicking I just relaxed because
I know that I’m the fastest in between and I
knew that I would be able to pick it up.
“It feels amazing. I’m a senior. I just want
to take this home. I had to leave it all on the
track. I wish that I could have run a better
time, but it’s OK. I got the win, so that’s
good.”
Donica Merriman (2001) was the only
previous Buckeye to win the NCAA title in
the event.
Manning was also on the 4x100-meter
relay team that finished fifth in the nation
with a time of 43.88 seconds. The Waldorf,
Md., native was joined by Christienne Linton,
Aisha Cavin and Chesna Sykes.
Spurred by Manning, Ohio State finished 21st in the country with 14 team
points. It serves as the squad’s best finish
since 2001.
“It was a very good day for our women’s
track and field team,” head coach Karen
Dennis said. “I’m very proud of Christienne,
Christina, Aisha, Chesna and Madison
McNary, our alternate who helped us get this
far. It’s exciting to have our first 4x100 AllAmerican relay team.
“Manning has been dominant in the 100
hurdles all year long, and she has again
proven she’s the best collegiate hurdler in the
country. Our year has had many memorable
moments, and this championship will never
be forgotten.”
LSU won the team title with 76 points.
Four other OSU women’s athletes competed. Alexis Thomas and Maggie Mullen
took part in the hammer throw, with Thomas
taking 16th (58.27 meters) and Mullen placing 20th (57.01).
Nyjah Cousar was 15th in the 400 hurdles
with a time of 58.41 seconds, and Shaniqua
McGinnis finished 23rd in the 400 meters in
53.44.
The Ohio State men had three AllAmericans at the NCAA meet, which was
contested at the same time and place as the
women’s event. When he crossed the line in
third place with a time of 8:40.98, junior Cory
Leslie became the first Buckeye to capture
All-America honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase since Brian Olinger in 2006.
Senior Matt DeChant came in fifth in the
shot put, throwing a season-best distance of
19.57 meters. Meanwhile, freshman Antonio
Blanks placed seventh in the 400 hurdles,
posting a time of 50.49.
Adding those performances up, Ohio State
finished 23rd in the nation with 12 points.
Florida won the title for the first time with
50 points.
Senior Michael Hartfield finished 11th in
the long jump with a leap of 11.75 meters, a
standing matched by the 4x400-meter relay
team of Thomas Murdaugh, Korbin Smith,
Marvel Brooks and Blanks, which crossed
the line in 3:04.99.
Heath Nickles took 15th in the decathlon
with a score of 7,458, Adam Green was 21st in
the 3,000 steeplechase (9:00.46) and Demoye
Bogle placed 21st in the 110 hurdles with a
time of 14.00.
Baseball, Hockey
Players Drafted
Major League Baseball and the National
Hockey League held their annual amateur
drafts in June, with MLB teams picking three
players with Ohio State ties and the NHL tabbing four future Buckeyes.
The hockey event, held in Pittsburgh,
began with its first round on June 22 before
rounds two through seven were held a day
later. The first Buckeye off the board was forward Zachary Stepan, a verbal commitment
who was chosen in the fourth round (112th
overall) by the Nashville Predators.
Stepan played last season with Minnesota
high school power Shattuck St. Mary’s and is
expected to suit up for Waterloo of the United
States Hockey League in 2012-13 before arriving at Ohio State for the fall of ’13.
“It’s a dream come true,” Stepan, the
cousin of New York Rangers forward Derek
Stepan, told the USHL website. “That’s one
of the things that when you’re little and you
watch the NHL draft and you see all that,
you’re like, I hope my name is called up there
someday. My heart was racing and it was just
one of the greatest feelings of all time.”
The 6-0, 166-pound prospect was described
by HockeysFuture.com going into the draft
as having “both the speed and strength to
compete at the next level, despite his small
size. He has terrific control of his body and
is able to create space very well. His vision
and awareness on the ice is above average as
well. As with any small player, his size may be
a concern, but he certainly plays larger than
he looks.”
Stepan said the year he plans to spend
at Waterloo will help him when he gets to
Columbus.
“Taking that year off and going to such
a good league is really going to get me prepared to go to Ohio State,” he said.
Three other Ohio State pledges were
taken, with goaltender Collin Olson (Carolina)
and defenseman Cliff Watson (San Jose)
going in the sixth round and goalie Matt
Tomkins (Chicago) coming off the board in
the seventh.
Olson is the only prospect who will join
the team for the 2012-13 season. Recent top
U.S. goaltender prospects Jack Campbell and
John Gibson – both Michigan commitments,
though Gibson was first an OSU pledge
before former head coach John Markell was
let go – chose to spurn the college route at the
last minute to play in Canada, but Olson has
no such plans.
“Academics has always been important,
and just being able to have four years to
develop and a great coaching staff,” the 6-3,
197-pounder said when asked why the college route was so attractive. “I’ve always been
pro-college. That’s just how I grew up, and I’m
excited to get down there (to Ohio State).”
Fellow goaltender Tomkins (6-2, 176),
who is expected to arrive in 2013, suits up for
Sherwood Park of the Alberta Junior Hockey
League.
Watson is a 6-1, 188-pounder who mans
the blue line for Sioux City of the USHL.
The MLB first-year player draft was held
from June 4-6. Current righthander John
Kuchno was taken in the 18th round by
the Pittsburgh Pirates, while recruits Tyler
Hollick – who signed a professional contract
– and Jacob Post were also taken.
Kuchno reached up to 97 mph on his
fastball this season as a sophomore, going
8-4 with a 4.38 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 74
innings. He had not signed a pro contract as
of press time – Kuchno has until July 13 to
do so should he choose to forgo his final two
years of eligibility – and was pitching with the
summer league Chillicothe Paints.
Meanwhile, Hollick was a 14th-round
selection of the San Francisco Giants while
the Pirates tabbed Post in the 29th round.
Hollick hails from Calgary, Alberta,
but played this year with Chandler-Gilbert
Community College in Arizona. The outfielder inked a contract with the Giants on June 14
and will not play for OSU.
Post is a right-handed high school pitcher
from Chesterton, Ind., and has not signed
yet.
Grapplers Stay Busy
In Summer Months
Ohio State wrestler Logan Stieber, the
133-pound NCAA champion as a redshirt
freshman in 2012, has continued to pile up
victories even in the summer months.
Stieber won a gold medal June 17 at the
Ziolkowski International in Siedlce, Poland,
while helping the U.S. team to a second-place
finish. Competing in the 132-pound division,
Stieber pinned top Turkish wrestler Munir
Recep Aktas in the final.
Former OSU letter winner J.D. Bergman,
who concluded his career in 2008, also won
gold at 211½ pounds. Ohio State assistant
coach Lou Rosselli served as a coach on the
U.S. team.
Stieber also competed June 7 in the Beat
the Streets Gala Bout in New York City’s
Times Square, defeating Russian wrestler
Ahmed Chakaev two matches to one.
The Buckeyes and head coach Tom Ryan
hope that they have someone who will put
together a similar career to Stieber in Bo
Jordan, who committed to OSU in mid-June.
Jordan is entering his senior year of high
school and is the son of Jeff Jordan, his coach
at St. Paris (Ohio) Graham. Bo, who projects
to wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds in college, is
133-1 in his prep career and perhaps more
importantly becomes the first wrestler from
the western Ohio high school powerhouse to
pledge to OSU.
It was also announced June 7 that Ohio
State will be one of nine schools to take part in
the inaugural “Grapple at the Garden” in New
York City’s Madison Square Garden on Dec.
16. The dual matches will be the first college
bouts ever held in the arena, and OSU will
face Maryland and Hofstra.
“The Buckeyes are looking forward to
being a part of the MSG Duals and competing against so many great institutions while
enjoying all the excitement the Big Apple has
to offer,” said OSU head coach Tom Ryan, a
former Hofstra coach.
Buckeye Notes
• Men’s tennis doubles national champions Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola continued to pull in hardware in June. Both
were named All-Americans in both doubles
and singles while the two were chosen as
the national doubles team of the year after
sweeping all three major national doubles
titles.
• All-America honors also rolled in for
rowers Ulrike Denker and Emily Walsh
on June 5, as the two members of OSU’s
First Varsity Eight boat were tabbed by the
Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.
Denker was a first-team selection and Walsh
made the second team.
• On the men’s volleyball stage, seniors
Shawn Sangrey and Mik Berzens were given
All-America honors by Volleyball Magazine.
Sangrey made the first team after leading the
nation with 5.03 kills per set and Berzens, a
major contributor both offensively and defensively for OSU, made the third team.
• Women’s volleyball volunteer coach
Andrew Palileo has been promoted to a fulltime assistant position by head coach Geoff
Carlston after the offseason loss of assistant
Don Gromala, who left to become the head
coach at Kent State. Palileo formerly was
the head coach at Washington State, earning Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in
2009.
• The 2012-13 men’s hockey schedule
was released June 26, with the Buckeyes set
to play 15 home games and 21 away from
Columbus. OSU begins the season Oct. 1213 at Minnesota Duluth and will also play
Quinnipiac and Robert Morris in nonconference play while taking part in RMU’s
Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational on
Dec. 28-29. The Buckeyes have two CCHA
series apiece against rival Miami (Ohio),
Alaska, Northern Michigan and Lake Superior
State, with the second game of the home
series vs. the Lakers being staged in the afternoon Jan. 26 in conjunction with NHL All-Star
Game festivities.
• Incoming men’s lacrosse recruits Robby
Haus and Charlie Schneider of Maryland
were chosen for the Under Armour prep AllAmerica Lacrosse Classic, which was held
June 30 in Baltimore.
Join Us as We Support the 2012 Buckeyes
on the Road & More!!
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• Travel to EVERY Football Away Game
• Annual Celebrity Golf Outing
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Membership is only
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For information, check us out
at www.buckeyeboosters.com
or call 614-326-3300.
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OHIO STATE MEN’S LACROSSE
Former Buckeyes Help Grow Lacrosse In Ohio
By JEFF SVOBODA
Growing up in central Ohio and attending St. Charles High School in Columbus,
burgeoning lacrosse player Eric O’Brien
just didn’t have a lot of opportunities to be
exposed to high-level lacrosse.
There was no professional team in the
area, leaving a growing Ohio State program
as the only game in town. Participation
at the high school level was scattershot
– the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington
boasted a powerful team, but there were
only around 40 boys programs in the state
– and trying to earn a college scholarship
offer wasn’t the easiest thing to do.
“It was very limited,” said O’Brien, who
graduated from high school in 2003. “We
had to go to the East Coast to get recruited. We could not get recruited here. It
was literally, I went to one camp and got
recruited.
“Now kids are going on travel teams,
going to three camps, five camps, six
camps. We’re having tournaments here.
We have (the) Max Elite (camp in Upper
Arlington), we have all the big names. It’s
great.”
O’Brien made those comments standing
on the track that surrounds Selby Stadium
at Ohio Wesleyan University in the northern Columbus suburb of Delaware, sweat
pouring down his face. He had just finished playing a game for the professional
Ohio Machine squad, an expansion team
in Major League Lacrosse whose existence
is yet another sign that the sport is setting
down deep roots in the state.
And it’s fair to say Ohio State is at the
forefront of the explosion. Not only does
the school have the only Division I program in the state – allowing athletes in
the exploding high school scene to get an
education close to home – its alums are a
major part of the effort to grow the sport
in Columbus.
In addition to O’Brien, a faceoff specialist, the Machine squad boasts longtime
league veterans and former OSU stars
Greg Bice, an MLL All-Star defender, and
Anthony Kelly, a midfielder. Recent graduate Stefan Schroder, perhaps the best goaltender in school history, has also moved
back to the area and is the team’s starting
netminder.
“It’s awesome,” said Bice, who finished
his OSU career in 2004 as a two-time
All-American. “Obviously, I’m a Buckeye
through and through. I bleed scarlet and
gray, and to be able to play with some of my
former teammates is a huge blessing. To
be able to play in front of people that I was
playing in front of years ago and to be able
to see them again and continue to build
those relationships is fantastic.”
That quote speaks to just how tight-knit
the lacrosse community is in central Ohio,
which owes to the fact it wasn’t very large
even a decade ago. There was no MLL in
town, and the sport was contested on a
smaller level in high schools. Ohio State
has had a men’s program since 1953 and
instituted a women’s team in 1996, but in
many ways the Buckeyes were the only
way to get exposure to the sport at a high
level.
“Obviously it was a lot smaller,” said
Bice, originally a native of San Antonio.
“There weren’t the amount of programs
and the amount of diehards for sure. When
I first came here, people would go out to
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OSU MEDIA RELATIONS
WELCOMED TO MACHINE – Former Ohio State men’s lacrosse players Greg
Bice (44) and Eric O’Brien (21) are among several Buckeyes who play for the
Ohio Machine, an expansion team in Major League Lacrosse.
Ohio State games and that was the only
show in town.”
But lacrosse has been described as the
fastest growing sport in the country given
its quick and massive growth, and that’s
true in central Ohio and across the state.
The middle part of Ohio – as well as the
suburbs around Cleveland and Cincinnati
– has become a breeding ground for an
increasing number of high-level players.
“There’s not enough coaches, there’s
not enough referees, and there’s dads
coaching at every level because the game
is growing so fast,” Bice said. “It’s a great
problem to have.”
The Ohio State
alums have been doing
what they can to be part
of that growth. Bice and
Kelly are the founders
of Resolute Lacrosse, a
program that provides
lacrosse training and
camps in Columbus
while sponsoring club
teams and hosting tournaments. O’Brien and
Schroder are also on staff, and
both coach at Olentangy Liberty
High School in the northern Columbus
suburb of Powell.
Their message has been well received
by the youth in the central Ohio area.
“When I see some of the enthusiasm
from the young kids, it reminds me of when
I was a young player up in central New York
and the passion I had for the game,” said
Schroder, who grew up Syracuse, N.Y., and
was the goaltender on the Ohio State team
that made the NCAA quarterfinals in 2008.
“I want to try to help kids get that passion
and help them learn about the game.”
Clearly, the youth in the sport – many
of whom bring their gear and serve as
ballboys at both Ohio State and Machine
games – have caught on. Ohio State’s 2012
roster featured nine Ohioans, and lacrosse
powerhouses such as Johns Hopkins and
Duke have dipped into the Buckeye State
for talent.
“We start right here in recruiting, getting a bead on the best players in the state,”
Ohio State head coach Nick Myers said.
“Almost 25 percent of our roster is from
the state of Ohio, and it’s not just us. You’re
seeing programs from all over taking a
hard look at young men from Ohio.”
The interest has
been magnified by
Ohio State’s annual
“Showdown in the
’Shoe” game, held
before each April’s
spring football game
for the past five
years. Ohio State set
an NCAA on-campus
record with 31,078 fans
in the stands when the
counting stopped in 2010,
and the event has put the sport
squarely in the spotlight each year.
The Machine hasn’t quite
reached that point, but the attendance has been solid. The stands at Selby
Stadium were packed for the inaugural
game May 19, with 6,126 fans on-site to see
the team beat Rochester, 16-10. Attendance
has tapered off – the most recent home
game June 23 featured 2,269 fans – but the
support has still been enthusiastic.
“It’s been amazing,” O’Brien said. “We
were really worried about that because it’s
grassroots marketing. There’s not a lot of
money in the league, but it’s been great. It’s
exciting. We play better here at our home
stadium because of the support.”
More wins – the first-year squad with
a fairly ragtag roster and little practice
time was just 1-6 through the end of June
– would likely boost attendance, the players
said, but they’ve been encouraged by what
they’ve seen so far.
That’s just as true on the macro scale,
as those involved say they expect the area’s
growing lacrosse culture to continue.
“I don’t see any reason why it would
be slowing down,” said Myers, who began
his coaching career at Ohio State in 2001
and became the head coach for the 2009
season. “You have the professional team,
you have a topflight Division I program, so
you have very high-end lacrosse. You have
it exploding at the youth level. I think it’s a
sport that’s going to continue to grow in the
state, and I think that’s a very positive thing
for everyone.”
That was a personal goal for Schroder,
who said he’s spent a large portion of
his life trying to expand the reach of the
sport.
“It’s kind of a dream come true type
thing, I would say. It’s really exciting,” the
goaltender said. “There’s been a lot of hard
work put in to get to this point. It’s definitely rewarding.”
2012 FOOTBALL
Sept. 1 MIAMI (OHIO), Noon;
8 CENTRAL FLORIDA, Noon; 15
CALIFORNIA, Noon; 22 UAB, TBA; 29
at Michigan State, TBA.
Oct. 6 NEBRASKA, 8 p.m.; 13 at
Indiana, 8 p.m.; 20 PURDUE, TBA; 27
at Penn State, 6 p.m.
Nov. 3 ILLINOIS, TBA; 17 at
Wisconsin, TBA; 24 MICHIGAN,
Noon.
2013 FOOTBALL
Aug. 31 VANDERBILT.
Sept. 7 FLORIDA A&M; 14 at
California; 21 BUFFALO; 28 WISCONSIN.
Oct. 5 at Northwestern; 19 IOWA;
26 PENN STATE.
Nov. 2 at Purdue; 16 at Illinois; 23
INDIANA; 30 at Michigan.
Dec. 7 Big Ten Championship
Game at Indianapolis.
2014 FOOTBALL
Aug. 30 vs. Navy at Baltimore.
Sept. 13 KENT STATE; 20 VIRGINIA
TECH; 27 CINCINNATI.
Oct. 4 PURDUE; 18 at Iowa; 25
NORTHWESTERN.
Nov. 1 at Wisconsin; 8 ILLINOIS;
15 at Penn State; 22 at Indiana; 29
MICHIGAN.
2015 FOOTBALL
Sept. 5 NORTH CAROLINA; 12
NORTHERN ILLINOIS; 19 at Virginia
Tech; 26 TBA.
Oct. 3 at Purdue; 10 PENN
STATE; 17 MICHIGAN STATE; 31 at
Minnesota.
Nov. 7 WISCONSIN; 14 at Illinois;
21 INDIANA; 28 at Michigan.
2016 FOOTBALL
Sept. 3 BOWLING GREEN; 10 TBA;
17 at Oklahoma; 24 TBA.
Oct. 1 PURDUE; 15 at Michigan
State; 22 ILLINOIS; 29 at Penn State.
Nov. 5 MINNESOTA; 12 at
Wisconsin; 19 at Indiana; 26
MICHIGAN.
Game at TBA.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
March 23 Big Ten/SEC Challenge
at Starkville, Miss., Big Ten wins 400.5314.5; 28-31 Clyde Littlefield Texas
Relays at Austin, Texas, NTS; 31 Jim
Click Shootout at Tucson, Ariz., 2nd/6.
April 13-14 JESSE OWENS TRACK
CLASSIC, NTS; 19-21 Mt. SAC Relays
at Walnut, Calif., NTS; 20-21 AllOhio Championships at Oxford, Ohio,
1st/13; 27-28 Drake Relays at Des
Moines, Iowa, NTS; 29 Payton Jordan
Invitational at Palo Alto, Calif., NTS.
May
4-5
Campbell/Wright
Invitational at Akron, Ohio, NTS;
11-13 Big Ten Championships at
Madison, Wis., 4th/11; 24-26 NCAA
East Prelims at Jacksonville, Fla., NTS.
June 6-9 NCAA Championships
at Des Moines, Iowa, T23rd/73; 1416 USATF Junior Championships at
Bloomington, Ind., NTS.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR
TRACK & FIELD
March 24 UCF Invitational at
Orlando, Fla., NTS; 31 Jim Click
Shootout at Tucson, Ariz., 4th/6.
April 6-7 Miami Invitational at
Oxford, Ohio, NTS; 13-14 JESSE
OWENS TRACK CLASSIC, NTS; 20-21
All-Ohio Championships at Oxford,
Ohio, 5th/15; 21 Tom Jones Memorial
Classic at Gainesville, Fla., NTS; 2628 Penn Relays at Philadelphia, NTS.
May 11-13 Big Ten Championships
at Madison, Wis., 1st/10; 24-26 NCAA
East Prelims at Jacksonville, Fla., NTS.
June 6-9 NCAA Championships at
Des Moines, Iowa., T21st/68.
Buckeye Sports BulletinBoard
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FOR SALE: 100 OSU football programs
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represented. Some bowl games plus Pitt,
UCLA, Notre Dame, Arizona, Oklahoma,
Baylor, Florida State, etc. $475. Call Stan
(740) 282-1204.
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WANTED TO buy: OSU football
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SPOR TS ILLUSTRATEDS for sale:
Old Sports Illustrateds from 1967-1975.
Good to very good condition. Includes
Ali, Jabbar, Lombardi, Namath, Nicklaus,
Havlicek, etc. Over 140 issues total. Will
sell the entire collection for $1,600.00 or
price individually. Call (740) 701-0300 for
availability.
OPINION
Things To Ponder As We All Wait For Fall
Summer break time at college is upon
us, but we know that for diehard college
sports fans, there’s never any break from
the debates, friendly arguments or casual
discussions about sports, future and past.
So here are some random observations
to debate as we await the next – and much
anticipated – college football season at Ohio
State.
THE EXNER POINT
Rich Exner
Best facility improvement: Renovating
Ohio Stadium. All the good things were
kept, things like the exterior arches, the
horseshoe design and even the towers from
which the state patrol stands guard. And the
bad things were corrected. Remember how
lousy those field seats were before the field
was lowered?
Stroll onto field level, even when the
stadium is empty, and you get a quick idea
of how intimidating the place must be for
opposing teams. It wasn’t one of the top
places in the Big Ten before the renovation
that was completed in 2001. Now it is the
best.
Worst facility improvement: Value
City Arena. Buckeye fans lost a great basketball venue when St. John Arena was
replaced by Value City Arena. Sure, there
are more seats, but nearly every seat in the
house is worse than its comparable location
in the 13,000-plus-seat St. John Arena. The
seating at the old place was right on top of
the court; there was no extra space for an
ice rink to push everyone back from the
court. The atmosphere in the old house
with the wooden seats on top of the court
was intense. There’s nothing special about
the new place.
Best football coach: Sorry, Woody
Hayes. This honor must go to Jim Tressel.
He didn’t last as long as Woody and he
didn’t win as many national championships,
but Tressel’s .828 winning percentage in an
era of more balanced competition is better
than Woody’s .761. Tressel also went 9-1
against Michigan, tops by any coach in the
history of the series. Woody was 16-11-1
against Michigan.
(A side question: Which coach left in
more disgrace, Woody or Tressel?)
Worst football coach: Hard as it may
be to believe, Luke Fickell (6-7) was the
first OSU head football coach to exit with a
losing record in more than 100 years. But
Fickell was just the interim coach, and we
know the situation was rather complicated
last year. So we’ll give this award to someone you’ve never heard of: David Edwards.
He was 1-7-1 in his lone season in 1897.
Best basketball coach: You might
question the choice of Tressel over Woody
on the football side, but there is no questioning that Thad Matta is the greatest basketball coach in Ohio State history. He has a
record of 221-65 in eight seasons, including
a pair of Final Four trips. He hasn’t yet won
a national championship like Fred Taylor
(1960), but Matta’s teams have always won
at least 20 games and Big Ten titles have
become routine.
Worst basketball coach: Looking at
modern times – the post-Taylor era beginning in 1976-77 – OSU has had a string
of coaches who started out with promise
but then couldn’t sustain success in Eldon
Miller, Gary Williams, Randy Ayers and
Jim O’Brien. Separating Ayers and O’Brien
from the rest is that OSU ended up on probation because of NCAA problems during
their tenures, so we’ll let those two share
this award.
Best OSU-Michigan moment: Sticking
to the Buckeye Sports Bulletin era, which
began in 1981, we go all the way back
to the 1981 game when quarterback Art
Schlichter (with shifty footwork) and fullback Vaughn Broadnax (with powerful
blocking) eliminated a swarm of would-be
Michigan defenders for Schlichter to score
the winning touchdown.
Worst OSU-Michigan moment: This
“moment” lasted more than a decade as
Ohio State went 2-10-1 against Michigan
during the John Cooper era from 1988 to
2000.
Best OSU-Michigan game: The
2006 game, pitting No. 1 and undefeated
Ohio State against No. 2 and undefeated
Michigan. Adding to the drama, Michigan
coaching legend Bo Schembechler died
the day before the game. Ohio Stadium
was electric from well before the kickoff
throughout the game, which ended in a 4239 OSU victory.
Worst OSU-Michigan game: Let’s go
all the way back to 1969. Ohio State had
beaten Michigan, 50-14, the year before.
The defending national champion Buckeyes
entered the 1969 game ranked first in the
country. But No. 12 Michigan, with Bo as
its first-year coach, beat the Buckeyes, 2412, establishing the legendary Woody-Bo
rivalry for years to come.
Best bowl game: A no-brainer here, at
least in post-Woody times, as winning the
2002 national title with an overtime victory
in the Fiesta Bowl against Miami (Fla.) tops
the list.
Worst bowl game: There were worse
bowl performances in recent memory but
ON HIGH
never with so much on the line for a great
Ohio State team than the loss in the 2006
season national title game against Florida.
This undefeated OSU team was a heavy
favorite, and should have been.
Enough of the bad. What else is good?
Best nickname: “Bramble.” The powerful yet speedy running back Keith Byars was
so dominating in setting a school record for
rushing yards in 1984 that his teammates
coined that nickname. It didn’t catch on big
time, but it was clever for what it meant.
Bramble was a combination of Jim Brown
and Earl Campbell. A preseason Heisman
favorite in 1985 after finishing second to
Doug Flutie in 1984, Byars broke a bone in
his foot and was never the same Bramble,
though he did have a long NFL career.
Best bowl-game quarterback: It’s
hard to imagine better back-to-back performances in consecutive big-time bowl games
than those compiled by Terrelle Pryor. He
won MVPs for the Rose Bowl following the
2009 season and the Sugar Bowl following
the 2010 season. Pryor passed for 266 yards
and ran for 72 in the Rose Bowl victory
over Oregon, then he passed for 221 yards
and ran for 115 in the Sugar Bowl win over
Arkansas. More valuable than the numbers
was how he led the way for the Buckeyes in
both victories.
Best player: Until someone wins two
or three Heisman trophies, you have to
stick with the only two-time winner, Archie
Griffin.
Best hire: Guys like Hayes, Tressel and
Matta turned out pretty good for Ohio State,
but no one has ever come to Columbus
with the résumé that Urban Meyer brings.
Time will tell whether he will rank with the
others. But at hiring time, there has been
nothing more impressive.
Best tradition: There’s “Hang on
Sloopy,” Script Ohio and the fact that the
OSU-Michigan game closes the season. But
for me, my favorite tradition is the band
entrance from the north ramp before each
home game, starting with the drummers,
followed by the rest of the band and the
drum major, and finally the march down the
field. Traditions like this are what college
football is all about.
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OPINION
Not Everyone Is Happy Playoff Is Coming
Somewhere along the way, I missed the
memo about how all of us are supposed to be
for a playoff in college football. For whatever
reason, it has never really bothered me that
there was no playoff, which appears to put me
in a distinct minority.
Every year that I can remember in my now
almost 60 years, a champion was crowned by
one process or another and, while I might
have quibbled with that champion from time
to time, I generally recognized that team.
Some years Ohio State was in the equation,
even winning it on occasion, and some years
it wasn’t. But I felt no void in my life without
a playoff.
In fact, if the college football powers that
be hadn’t announced their decision to go to a
four-team playoff, I was going to use this space
to outline my vision of how a champion should
be named.
It was going to be a mock column of sorts,
as I was going to outline the way the college
landscape was before first the Bowl Alliance
and then the Bowl Championship Series, with
my “innovative” idea that a limited number of
bowl games be played, the most important of
them all on New Year’s Day, with the champion ultimately being decided by two polls,
one made up of college coaches and the other
consisting of media members. While the two
polls would generally come to a consensus,
on rare occasions there might be two national
champions.
The centerpiece of my proposal would
have been the Rose Bowl, which would have
pitted the champions of the Big Ten and Pac12 in Pasadena and would have been played in
the premier time slot of that college football
celebration held on Jan. 1. Teams from those
like-minded conferences would aspire to earn
the berth in Pasadena. The national championship would be a secondary thought and would
come, if deserved, only after prevailing in the
Rose Bowl.
In the tradition of true satire, I would have
speculated that my proposal would have the
potential to last for decades, which of course
the old system (the basis for my new system),
despite any of its flaws, did.
As I think about all of this, I realize that my
indifference to the national obsession with a
playoff is based in my growing up as part of
the Rose Bowl generation. For Buckeye fans
of that generation, the national championship
was third in the successful season progression. The first goal for an Ohio State team was
to beat Michigan, and frequently that critical
victory led to a trip to the Mecca for fans of
Big Ten teams and those of the Pac-12 and its
predecessors – the Rose Bowl.
The beauty of that priority system was that
you could lose a couple of games, especially
in a year when the Big Ten was competitive,
and still achieve the ultimate goal of going to
Pasadena.
Ohio State’s 1984 season always comes
to mind for me. At one point that season, the
Buckeyes were 6-2 after a loss to Wisconsin
and seemingly out of the race for anything, let
alone the national championship. Yet they won
out in the regular season, defeating Michigan
in the process, and earned the trip to the Rose
Bowl. Most fans considered that a successful
season – even though it still bothers me that
Ohio State went on to lose to a so-so USC team
in Pasadena – in a year when even if there
were a four-team playoff, Ohio State would not
have gotten a sniff.
And the quest for the Rose Bowl was
not limited to Ohio State. It was that way all
across the conference. I’ll never forget when
Wisconsin earned the trip following the 1993
THE VIEW FROM 15TH & HIGH
Frank Moskowitz, Publisher
season, the Badgers’ first Rose berth in 31
years. Ticket demand was so great that many
who were promised tickets as part of bowl
packages were shut out and tickets could not
be had at any price.
But I have to remember that it has now
been 14 years since the Rose Bowl, recognizing the changing times, joined the BCS, sadly
starting a steady decline in the significance of
this once special bowl game. With each passing year, the game’s greatness fades farther in
college football’s rearview mirror. For many
younger college football fans, the Rose Bowl
is of no greater significance than the Fiesta
Bowl, for example – one of my favorite bowl
games, but a Johnny-come-lately to the major
bowl scene.
I felt a little less isolated in my feelings
about all of this when Bob Hunter, the longtime columnist for The Columbus Dispatch,
addressed the topic in his July 1 column.
“As the scene of some of Ohio State’s most
important games, the Rose Bowl has always
drawn moon-eyed looks from the state’s
sports fans,” wrote Hunter, who acknowledged that he has been a longtime proponent
of a playoff. “It held a special fascination for
most Midwesterners, a place many had on
their bucket list before they even knew what
a bucket list was.”
Hunter went on to say, “The ill-fated Bowl
Championship Series title game sucked up
some of the Rose Bowl’s magic, giving the
game secondary status when the title game
wasn’t in Pasadena. But the four-team playoff
will deal a near-lethal blow to a game that
has been such a critical part of the sport’s
heritage.”
Hunter spoke with legendary Buckeye
John Hicks, a Rose Bowl Hall of Famer who
was philosophical about the game and its
demise.
“It is what it is,” Hicks, who started three
straight games in Pasadena from 1972-74, told
Hunter. “I mean the Rose Bowl is outstanding. I had the greatest experience there that a
young person can have. My mother adored it.
My mother and father loved going to the Rose
Bowl, and after my father died, my mother
went in ’97 when the Buckeyes did. But we’ve
got to grow up. Times change.”
Under the old system, the national championship was all about taking care of business.
If you won your games, you would most likely
be national champion, or at least in the discussion – and discussion is what it was all about
back then, with no playoff.
A four-team playoff would have aided a
team like the Buckeyes’ 1998 squad, which
was arguably the best team in college football that year. If there had been a playoff
back then, perhaps Ohio State would have
qualified despite losing to Michigan State
in Ohio Stadium. But did the Buckeyes
really deserve a mulligan after losing to the
Spartans?
With the addition of so many conference championship games – a development
designed to generate money and television
programming (read: generate money) – I
acknowledge that it will be more and more difficult to navigate an entire season undefeated
or with one loss, especially if a team wants to
schedule exciting and challenging nonconference contests.
So, true, a four-team playoff will still give
teams with nominal losses a chance to play
for the crown. If you expand again and start
dipping into teams with more losses, however, I’m not certain those teams took care of
business and earned the right to play for the
championship, regardless of how strong their
schedule.
Under the new system, it would seem that
one team and its fan base will end the season
truly happy and three teams will finish the season sort of happy. It would seem. I can’t help
but remember that after Ohio State played for
the BCS championship following the 2006 and
2007 seasons, Buckeye fans were disgruntled
with the team and head coach Jim Tressel
after consecutive losses in those games.
So maybe only one team and its fans will
be happy. That just doesn’t seem like a lot of
fun to me.
One suggestion that I do have, which will
never be implemented because all-powerful
ESPN needs the programming, is the return to
a more limited bowl schedule. If bowl games
go back to being a reward for a good season
instead of rewarding mediocrity, maybe the
bowl experience for those not part of the playoffs would regain some of its luster.
In closing, I’ll make all of you a wager.
It was more than 50 years between the
time Illinois defeated UCLA following the
1946 season to start the historic Rose Bowl
arrangement between the Big Ten and its
West Coast brethren and the time the game
joined the BCS.
I bet the new playoff system doesn’t last
half that long.
Spielman Classic Dinner
I attended the recent Spielman Gridiron
Classic Kickoff Dinner, held June 26 in
Columbus.
The event honored former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce, who received the 2012
SGC Inspiration Award.
It became apparent as the evening progressed that Spielman, who was recruited by
Bruce to play at Ohio State, and the former
Buckeye coach have a tremendous amount of
mutual admiration.
“I’ve won a lot of great awards through
the years, one of which is on my finger, my
(college) Hall of Fame ring,” Bruce told the
crowd. “But this is the greatest award I’ve ever
received.”
Spielman told of how Bruce’s behavior during the ill-fated Michigan week in November
1987, in which the coach was fired but still led
the Buckeyes to victory over the Wolverines,
had a major impact on his life. The way Bruce
remained focused and kept the Michigan
game of the utmost importance that week
rather than his personal predicament stayed
with Spielman.
When his late wife, Stefanie, was first
diagnosed with breast cancer, Spielman told
the audience that he drew on that inspiration
to help make the decision to step away from
football for a year and be at the side of his wife
and family as Stefanie battled the disease.
“Family came first,” Spielman explained,
“just as the team came first for Coach Bruce.”
Bruce also recounted how that 23-20 victory over Michigan led to another important
moment in his life.
After the game, Bruce met with his
Michigan counterpart and longtime Buckeye
nemesis, Bo Schembechler.
“You know how I hate to lose,”
Schembechler told Bruce. “You know how I
hate to lose. But today I didn’t mind losing.”
Those words really moved Bruce.
“That was the greatest thing anyone has
ever said to me,” Bruce said.
Spielman, who played for Bruce at OSU
from 1984-87 and had 16 tackles, including 14
solos, in that Buckeye career-ending victory
over the Wolverines, almost didn’t become
a Buckeye thanks to a culinary faux pas by
Bruce.
The coach hosted Spielman at the Bruce
household as part of the prep star’s recruiting
process. Bruce acknowledged to the crowd
his lack of cooking prowess but said that he
does pride himself in the making of a special dessert – Bananas Foster. After dinner
with Spielman, Bruce excused himself to the
kitchen to prepare his signature item.
Bruce served the dessert to Spielman with
much fanfare, and the future great’s response
was simple.
“I don’t like bananas!” he said.
“I’m thinking, ‘That’s strike one,’ ” Bruce
recalled.
Spielman not only ended up coming to
Ohio State and starring, he also had a highly
successful career in the NFL. Along with
Stefanie, who died in 2009, he has raised more
than $10 million to support breast cancer
research.
The Spielman Gridiron Classic, which benefits the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast
Cancer Research as well as the Fellowship
of Christian Athletes, started out as a single
game in 2008. It reached 17 games in 2011
and is now open to any school in the state that
would like to designate a regular-season game
as a Classic contest, and the participating
schools can also share in the proceeds. For
more information, go to sgcfootball.com.
Previous winners of the Inspiration Award
were Cleveland Glenville High School coach
Ted Ginn Sr. in 2010 and Yvette McGee
Brown, justice of the Ohio Supreme Court,
in 2011.
Recruiting Scoop
If you did not access our June 19 electronic
issue, you missed an interesting story by our
Ari Wasserman from the June 10 advanced
football camp at Ohio State. Wasserman
chronicled the play of the relatively unheralded Darron Lee, a two-way prospect from
nearby New Albany, Ohio.
Lee went head-to-head with safety Vonn
Bell out of Rossville, Ga., arguably the top
prospect participating, for much of the camp,
earning praise for his play against the five-star
player. Not long after the camp, Lee received
an offer from Ohio State, which he quickly
accepted.
This is just one more example of the type
of stories you are missing if you are not enjoying all 60 issues of Buckeye Sports Bulletin.
The 36 electronic issues are available for free
to all current paid print subscribers. While
the next print edition of BSB is not scheduled
until late in August, there will be electronic
issues posted on July 17 and 31 and Aug. 7,
14 and 31.
If you have not already signed up to enjoy
these issues, simply email us your name,
address and phone number to subscriptions@
buckeyesports.com and we will send easy
instructions on how to access the electronic
issues. For more information, see page 5 of
this issue.

Smith Happy With Rebound From Previous Year`s Issues

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