Ohio State Buckeyes
Preview 2007
By
Pete Fiutak
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2007 OSU Offense Preview |
2007 OSU Defense Preview
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2007 OSU Depth Chart
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2006 CFN Ohio State Preview
After the brutally awful 59 minutes of football that followed Ted
Ginn’s kickoff return for a score in the BCS Championship Game, Ohio
State has to quickly pick up the pieces of its shattered reputation
and get right back in the national title race. Despite massive
personnel losses on offense, this team can do that.
Head coach: Jim Tressel
7th year: 62-14
22nd year overall: 197-71-2
Lettermen Returning
Off. 18, Def. 20, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 21 |
Ten
Best OSU Players
1.
LB James
Laurinaitis, Jr.
2. CB Malcolm Jenkins, Jr.
3. OT Alex Boone, Jr.
4. OT Kirk Barton, Sr.
5. DE Vernon Gholston, Jr.
6. LB Marcus Freeman, Jr.
7. RB Chris Wells, Soph.
8. OG Steve Rehring, Jr.
9. LB Larry Grant, Sr.
10. P A.J. Trapasso, Soph. |
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2007 Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
9-3
Preview
2007 predicted wins
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Sept. 1 |
Youngstown State |
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Sept. 8 |
Akron |
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Sept. 15 |
at Washington |
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Sept. 22 |
Northwestern |
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Sept. 29 |
at Minnesota |
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Oct.
6 |
at
Purdue |
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Oct.
13 |
Kent State |
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Oct.
20 |
Michigan State |
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Oct.
27 |
at
Penn State |
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Nov.
3 |
Wisconsin |
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Nov.
10 |
Illinois |
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Nov.
17 |
at
Michigan |
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2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction: 10-2
2005 Record: 12-1
Preview
2006 predicted wins
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9/2 |
No. Illinois W
35-12 |
| 9/9 |
at Texas W 24-7 |
| 9/16 |
Cincinnati
W 37-7 |
| 9/23 |
Penn State
W 28-6 |
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9/30 |
at Iowa W 38-17 |
| 10/7 |
Bowling Green
W 35-7 |
| 10/14 |
at Michigan St
W 38-7 |
| 10/21 |
Indiana
W 44-3 |
| 10/28 |
Minnesota
W 44-0 |
| 11/4 |
at Illinois
W 17-10 |
| 11/11 |
at Nwestern
W 54-10 |
| 11/18 |
Michigan
W 42-39 |
| 1/8 |
BCS Championship
Florida L 41-14 |
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Don’t believe the myth that the Buckeyes aren’t fast, just because
Florida played faster. Don’t believe the myth that Jim Tressel and his
staff now can’t coach in the big game compared to the new breed of stars
like Urban Meyer. Don’t believe the myth that OSU can’t play with SEC
teams (although the record against the league would suggest otherwise).
And don’t believe the myth that OSU is a dead-team-walking after losing
Ginn, Antonio Pittman, Anthony Gonzalez, Heisman winner Troy Smith, and
six starters on the defense.
This is Ohio State. Like last year on defense, superstars will take over
for superstars.
The Buckeyes should be able to show up and start 8-0 without breaking
much of a sweat, so barring a disaster, they’ll be able to fill in all
the gaps and tweak all the problems for two months before the real
season starts. But even if they rock and blow everyone out, will America
forgive and forget how it felt so hoodwinked last year? How much time
will it take before Tressel’s boys get the blind faith and goodwill it
built up when everyone picked them to walk over the Gators? Maybe the
loss to Florida was a major embarrassment that could turn out to be a
positive going into this year.
Motivation won’t be an issue. The tired “nobody believes in us” cliché
will be fired out more than once when everyone picks Michigan and
Wisconsin to be the main conference favorites. Yes, the Ohio
State University could actually be the sleeper in the Big Ten
race.
What to watch for on offense: Welcome
back to Tressel-ball. Without Smith and his weapons, the offense’s prime
initiative will be to not screw up, and to let the defense and special
teams take care of business. The offensive line should be good enough to
pound out an effective running game, so expect RB Chris Wells to quickly
become a household name and a favorite for the 2008 Heisman.
What to watch for on defense: James Laurinaitis making tackle
after tackle. Vernon Gholston is the only returning starter on the line,
so it might take a little while before the front four is up to
championship snuff. Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman will be a lights-out
1-2 linebacking combination against the run in an aggressive, fast
defense that should produce plenty of turnovers.
The team will be far better if … it remembers that it really is a
national title-caliber program, and that the Florida loss might simply
have been an aberration. The team was fat, lazy and unprepared for the
jacked-up Gators. Make no mistake about it, Florida earned that win, but
the Buckeyes didn’t seem focused. Using that game for motivation is a
necessity.
The Schedule:
It should be
just about perfect, giving all the young offensive talent time to figure
out what to do. Warm-ups against Youngstown State and Akron will set the
tone for a road trip to Washington. The next five games are nice and
easy for a team like OSU, playing Northwestern, at Minnesota, at Purdue,
Kent and Michigan State before the nasty finishing kick: playing at Penn
State, home against Wisconsin and Illinois, and finishing at Michigan.
Best Offensive Player: Sophomore RB Chris Wells. Get ready for information
overload regarding Wells, who’s set to become the next great Buckeye
back and the focal point of the offense, now that Troy Smith and his
star-studded support cast are in the NFL. In the Adrian Peterson mold,
he’s the prototype at the position with great size, ample speed and a
solid true freshman season to build upon.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB James Laurinaitis. What does
Laurinaitis possibly do for an encore after leading the Buckeyes in
tackles and interceptions a year ago, en route to becoming the first
true sophomore to win the Nagurski Award? A physical beast in run
defense, he’s also stellar in underneath pass coverage, making him a
natural at creating takeaways.
Key player to a
successful season:
Junior QB Todd Boeckman.
Assuming he actually wins the job by opening day, don’t be shocked if
he’s better than many expect, considering he has to replace a legend.
While he’s not the passer Troy Smith was, he has the arm, size and
talent to make defenses worry about the passing game. Sophomore Rob
Schoenhoft and speedy redshirt freshman Antonio Henton should see a
little bit of time to get their feet wet.
The season will be a
success if
... the Buckeyes are playing Michigan with a shot at the Rose Bowl. Even
with all the issues on offense, this is still The Ohio State
University; it’ll come up with a few guys who can play. The defense
alone will be enough to win seven games without much of a concern. Even
if there’s a toe-stubbing against someone like Purdue or Penn State, OSU
should be able to get to Michigan with a shot at the Rose Bowl.
Key game:
Oct. 6 at Purdue. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, there’s no bigger game than the one against that team in
Maize and Blue up the road about 200 miles, and battles against Penn
State and Wisconsin are vital, but the road trip to Purdue will show
what kind of team this is. The Boilermaker attack likely will finish the
season first in the Big Ten in total offense, and will give the Buckeye
defense a test. The OSU offense has to show it can keep up the pace. A
win would likely mean an 8-0 start before the trip to Happy Valley.
2006 Fun Stats:
- First quarter scoring: Ohio State 118; Opponents 34
- Points allowed vs. Michigan and Florida: 80; Points allowed vs. the
other 11 opponents: 86
- Red zone touchdowns: Ohio State 42 of 54 (78%); Opponents 17 of 31
(55%)