2008 Ohio State
Buckeyes
Jan. 5
2009 Fiesta Bowl
Texas 24 … Ohio State 21
The defensive battle turned into a heart-stopping thriller over the final few
minutes as Colt McCoy finished off a 78-yard drive in the final 1:42 with a
26-yard touchdown pass to Quan Cosby with :16 to play. Ohio State had taken the
lead on a 15-yard Dan Herron scoring run with 2:05 to play as part of a Buckeye
run of 15 straight fourth quarter points after a rough third quarter. OSU slowed
the game down in the first half on the way to a 6-3 lead, helped by an Anderson
Russell interception to stop a late UT drive, but the third quarter was all
Texas as McCoy ran for a 14-yard score and hit Cosby for a seven-yard touchdown
to cap off two long drives. Ohio State’s final shot to score was stopped by a
Brian Orakpo sack and a broken up Hail Mary attempt.
Player of the Game:
Texas QB Colt McCoy completed 41-of-59 passes for 414
yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and he ran seven times for 27
yards and a score, and WR Quan Cosby caught 14 passes for 171 yards and a
touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Ohio State - Passing: Todd Boeckman, 5-11,
110 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chris Wells, 16-106. Receiving: Brian Robiskie, 5-116
Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 41-59, 414 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Ogbonnaya, 11-42.
Receiving: Quan Cosby, 14-171, 2 TD
Inside The Box Score ... 5
Thoughts on the Fiesta Bowl
…
Fiu's Quarter-by-Quarter, Play-by-Play Game Notes … Ohio State CB Chimdi
Chekwa made 11 tackles, all solo. … Texas fourth down conversions: 3-of-4 …
Rushing yards: OSU 203 – UT 72 … Punts inside the 20: OSU 4 – UT 0 … Average
yards per carry: OSU 5.2 – UT 2.6 … Terrelle Pryor completed 5-of-14 passes for
66 yards, ran for 78 yards on 15 carries, and caught a five-yard touchdown pass
… Texas WR Jordan Shipley caught 10 passes for 78 yards.
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2008 Ohio St Preview
-
2007
Ohio St Season
2008 Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
12-0
2008 Record: 10-3
Aug. 30
Youngstown
St W 43-0
Sept. 6 Ohio W 26-14
Sept. 13 at USC L 35-3
Sept. 20 Troy
W 28-10
Sept. 27 Minnesota
W 34-21
Oct. 4 at Wisconsin W
20-17
Oct. 11 Purdue W 16-3
Oct. 18 at Michigan State
W 45-7
Oct. 25 Penn State L 13-6
Nov. 1 OPEN DATE
Nov. 8 at Northwestern W
45-10
Nov. 15 at Illinois W
30-20
Nov. 22 Michigan W 42-7
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 5 Texas L 24-21 |
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2007 Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
9-3
2007 Record: 11-2
Sept. 1
Y'stown St
W 38-6
Sept. 8
Akron
W 20-2
Sept. 15
at Washington
W 33-14
Sept. 22
Northwestern
W 58-7
Sept. 29
at Minnesota
W 30-7
Oct.
6 at
Purdue W 23-7
Oct.
13
Kent State
W 48-3
Oct.
20
Michigan State
W 24-17
Oct.
27 at
Penn State W 37-17
Nov.
3
Wisconsin
W 38-17
Nov.
10
Illinois
L 28-21
Nov.
17 at
Michigan W 14-3
BCS Championship
Jan. 7 LSU L 38-24 |
Nov. 22
Ohio State 42 …
Michigan 7
Ohio State came up with the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since 1968
as Beanie Wells tore off a 59-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter and
Brian Hartline caught a 53-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead. Michigan came up
with a 14 play, 65-yard drive finishing up with a one-yard Brandon Minor
touchdown run late in the first half, but it was all Ohio State in the second
half as Dan Herron ran for touchdowns from 49 and two yards out, Brian Robiskie
caught an eight-yard touchdown pass, Hartline caught an 18-yard scoring pass
from Todd Boeckman. Ohio State outgained Michigan 416 yards to 198.
Player of the game:
Ohio State RB Beanie Wells ran 15 times for 134 yards
and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Nick Sheridan, 8-24, 87
yds
Rushing: Brandon Minor, 14-67, 1 TD. Receiving: Martavious Odoms,
5-37
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 5-13, 120 yds, 2 TD,
1 INT
Rushing: Chris Wells, 15-134, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Hartline,
2-71, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Don’t just dismiss
the blowout win over Michigan as an obvious victory that was supposed to happen.
This win showed just how huge the gap is between the two programs. It was wide
before, and now it’s a Grand Canyon with no hope in the foreseeable future of it
closing up too much. However, even with the blowout win, don’t ignore the
problems on the defensive line in the first half. Michigan was able to shove the
OSU front four around, but nothing came of it because the skill players couldn’t
do anything. It didn’t hurt to have James Laurinaitis and the back seven clean
up everything.
Nov. 15
Ohio
State 30 … Illinois 20
Ohio State cranked out 305 yards of rushing offense with Beanie
Wells and Terrelle Pryor each going over the 100-yard mark. Pryor
started out the scoring with a one-yard run in the first quarter,
but Illinois responded with a brilliant fingertip catch from Jeff
Cumberland from seven yards out. The Buckeyes responded with the
next 16 points helped by a three-yard Wells run and 20-yard catch
from Dane Sanzenbacher. Illinois tried to come back with two field
goals late in the first half, but Dan Herron put it away for OSU
early in the second on a 12-yard run.
Player of the game:
Ohio State RB Beanie Wells ran 24 times
for 143 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Illinois - Passing: Juice
Williams, 17-26, 192 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Daniel Dufrene, 8-79. Receiving: Daniel
Dufrene, 5-42
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 6-10, 49
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chris Wells, 24-143, 1 TD. Receiving: Dan
Sanzenbacher, 2-22, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Forget
about the passing game, Ohio State has abandoned it completely for a
punishing ground attack. Against Illinois, Beanie Wells ran with
speed, power, and agility as he tore off tough run after tough run,
while Terrelle Pryor did his part with his legs, and didn’t make
mistakes with his arm. The run defense struggled a bit with the
Illinois running game, against both the quarterbacks and RB Daniel
Dufrene, but there weren’t many problems as the weather got worse.
Now the Buckeyes are in a position to go to the Rose Bowl needing to
beat Michigan and hope for Michigan State to beat Penn State.
Nov. 8
Ohio
State 45 … Northwestern 10
Ohio State got a huge day out of its backfield as Chris Wells ran
for a two-yard score and a 55-yard dash in the first half, while QB
Terrelle Pryor threw three touchdown passes highlighted by a
34-yarder to Brian Robiskie in the fourth. Northwestern tied it at
seven with a one-yard Mike Kafka scoring run, but that would be it
outside of a 25-yard field goal.
Player of the game:
Ohio State RB Beanie Wells ran 28 times
for 140 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Northwestern - Passing: Mike
Kafka, 18-27, 177 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Kafka, 29-83, 1 TD. Receiving: Eric
Peterman, 6-78
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 9-14, 197
yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Chris Wells, 28-140, 2 TD. Receiving: Brian
Robiskie, 3-58, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After
the Penn State game and with Terrelle Pryor coming up with one of
his better games, Ohio State got back on track in a big way against
Northwestern. The Wildcats were one dimensional thanks to injuries,
and Ohio State made them pay. James Laurinaitis had a fantastic game
spying on NU QB Mike Kafka, while getting in on seemingly every
play. With Penn State losing to Iowa, the Rose Bowl is still a
possibility with a little help and by winning out.
Oct. 25
Penn State
13 … Ohio State 6
In a tough defensive battle, Penn State replaced Daryll Clark late
in the fourth quarter with Pat Devlin, who ran for a one-yard
touchdown with just over six minutes to go, with the drive sparked
by a Terrelle Pryor fumble, to give the Nittany Lions the lead, and
Kevin Kelly made it a seven point margin with a 35-yard field goal.
Ohio State still had a chance in the final moments, but Pryor, who
threw for a career-high 226 yards, was picked off in the end zone by
Lydell Sargeant. The Buckeyes managed just two Aaron Pettrey field
goals, but outgained the Nittany Lions 287 yards to 281.
Player of the game:
Penn State LB Navorro Bowman made 10
tackles, a tackle for loss, broke up a pass and recovered a fumble.
Stat Leaders: Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle
Pryor, 16-25, 226 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Wells, 22-55. Receiving: Dane
Sanzenbacher, 6-82
Penn State - Passing: Daryll Clark, 12-20, 121
yds
Rushing: Evan Royster, 19-77. Receiving: Evan Royster,
3-20
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Going
conservative proved to be a killer. The Buckeyes needed to loosen up
the Penn State defense a little bit, but didn’t. The offensive line,
especially the tackles, had a nightmare of a time with Penn State’s
speed, which is why Terrelle Pryor had to stay in and Todd Boeckman
had to stay on the bench, but the receivers had to get more
involved. That’ll be the problem for the rest of the year with Pryor
trying to figure out what he’s doing. Now the Rose Bowl is all but
gone, but that doesn’t mean a BCS bowl is out of the picture.
Winning out impressively is a must.
Oct. 18
Ohio State
45 … Michigan State 7
Ohio State forced five turnovers and came up with three sacks as the
defense dominated the MSU offense, allowing just a three-yard
Charlie Gantt touchdown catch in the third quarter, while the
offense did its part on the way to a 28-0 start. Beanie Wells ran
for two short scores and Terrelle Pryor ripped off an 18-yard
touchdown dash and threw a seven-yard scoring pass to Brian Robiskie
in the first half, and then the D took over. Thaddeus Gibson took a
fumble 69 yards for a touchdown and Jermale Hines scooped up a
fumble for a 48-yard touchdown with 15 seconds to play.
Player of the game:
Ohio State RB Beanie Wells ran 31 times
for 140 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Michigan State - Passing: Kirk
Cousins, 18-25, 161 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Javon Ringer, 16-67. Receiving: Blair White,
6-47
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 7-11, 116
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Beanie Wells, 31-140, 2 TD. Receiving:
Brandon Smith, 3-37
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Will
the dominant performance over Michigan State be the game that
kickstarts Ohio State on a run to yet another national title game?
That’s getting way ahead of the game, but
for now, it was the sort of game the team had been missing for a
while. The offense worked, the defense stuffed Javon Ringer, and
everyone was moving around with a better energy and apparent
confidence. At least that’s how the team looked compared to the way
it played last week against Purdue.
Oct. 11
Ohio State
16 … Purdue 3
The Ohio State offense was awful, but the defense made up for it.
Purdue only managed three points on a 53-yard Carson Wiggs field
goal, and it didn’t threaten for a touchdown until the final
moments. The Buckeyes got a blocked point for a touchdown to start
off the scoring early, and Ryan Pertorius added two short field
goals to go along with Aaron Pettrey’s 49-yarder.
Player of the game:
Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis made ten
tackles and a tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter,
32-51, 228 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 20-67. Receiving: Greg Orton,
6-73
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 10-14, 97
yds
Rushing: Beanie Wells, 22-94. Receiving: DeVier Posey,
2-28
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... If Ohio
State can wake up, it’ll notice that the chance is there to rocket
back up the rankings in a big hurry if it can just start to play
better. The offense didn’t have anywhere near the pop in the running
game it showed at times against Wisconsin, while Brian Hartline and
Brian Robiskie have fallen off the map ever since Terrelle Pryor
took over the reigns. The Buckeyes were still able to come up with
an easy double-digit win over Purdue, but it’s going to take a whole
lot more to get by Michigan State and Penn State over the next two
weeks.
Oct. 4
Ohio State 20 … Wisconsin 17
Terrelle Pryor ran the option for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:08 to
play, and Malcolm Jenkins picked off a pass to snuff out the final
Badger drive, as Ohio State came up with a tough, hard-fought win.
The Buckeyes got off to a hot start as Beanie Wells blew through the
Badger D for a 33-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but Wisconsin
rebounded with a nine-yard Mickey Turner touchdown catch and a
20-yard Philip Welch field goal as time expired in the first half. A
two-yard P.J. Hill touchdown blast with 6:31 to play gave UW the
late lead, but Pryor was nearly perfect on a 12-play, 80-yard drive
to pull off the win. In the nearly dead-even game, OSU outgained the
Badgers 327 yards to 326.
Player of the game: Ohio State RB Chris Wells ran 22 times
for 168 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle
Pryor, 13-19, 144 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Wells, 22-168, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian
Hartline, 3-57
Wisconsin - Passing: Allan Evridge, 13-25, 1 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: John Clay, 10-69. Receiving: Travis Beckum, 6-60
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean,
Basil? ... Welcome to the Terrelle Pryor era. He was
calm, cool and confident in a nasty environment to beat a great
Wisconsin team. Just as impressive was Beanie Wells, who showed the
combination of speed, power, and skill that everyone’s been waiting
for. Beating Minnesota was nice, but this was the game that should
put Ohio State’s season back on the map. However, the defensive
tackles have to be far better. When push came to shove, literally,
the Badgers shoved around the Buckeyes late.
Sept. 27
Ohio State
34 ... Minnesota
21
Beanie Wells ran for 106 yards and Terrelle Pryor tore off a 33-yard
touchdown run and added a one-yard score on the way to a 34-6 Ohio
State lead. Minnesota mounted a mini-comeback with a three-yard
Ralph Spry touchdown run and a 22-yard Da'Jon McKnight touchdown
catch in the final 8:24, but it was way too little, too late. Brian
Robiskie caught two touchdown passes for the Buckeyes, one from
Pryor from eight yards out and one from Todd Boeckman from 31 yards
away.
Player of the game:
Ohio State QB
Terrelle Pryor completed 8-of-13 passes for 70 yards and a touchdowns, and ran
eight times for 97 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Minnesota - Passing: Adam Weber, 23-36, 187 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeLeon Eskridge, 18-76. Receiving: DeLeon Eskridge,
8-55
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 8-13, 70 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chris Wells, 14-106. Receiving:
Brian Robiskie,
8-90, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Ohio State
offense took on a whole different look with Beanie Wells and
Terrelle Pryor running the ball. Granted, Minnesota isn't USC, but
for the first time this year, the offense started to moved the ball
on a consistent basis with the running game suddenly getting more of
a pop. It would've been nice if the defense had dropped the hammer
in the fourth quarter and made it an ugly blowout for style points,
but it was still a good, easy win before going to Wisconsin.
Sept. 20
Ohio State 28 ... Troy 10
Terrelle Pryor got the start, and he didn't disappoint throwing four
touchdown passes including two to Brian Hartline from 39 and 16
yards away. Even so, the Buckeyes were a bit sluggish, up only 14-10
at halftime, but two Pryor fourth quarter touchdown passes in the
fourth quarter ended any drama. Troy got its touchdown on a 45-yard
catch fro Jerrell Jernigan late in the second quarter, but it
outpassed Ohio State 218 yards to 139.
Player of the game:
Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor went 10-of-16 for 139 yards, four
touchdowns and an interception, adding 66 yards rushing on 14
carries.
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Jamie Hampton,
30-43, 218 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 11-54. Receiving: Jerrell
Jernigan, 8-66, 1 TD
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 10-16, 139
yds, 4 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Dan Herron, 20-94. Receiving: Brian
Hartline, 2-55, 2 TDs
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about a
downer, Ohio State played in front of a less-than-capacity crowd
against Troy, and the team played a bit sluggish even with Terrelle
Pryor running the offense. Pryor wasn't asked to do anything tough,
but he was effective with his arm and his legs, rushing for 66
yards. Todd Boeckman never got a chance to get into a groove,
throwing only one pass and missing. Basically, the program has to
wake up. The Big Ten season starts next week against Minnesota, with
a date at Wisconsin to follow. The Rose Bowl is hardly a bad second
prize now that dreams of a national title are gone, but that's not
happening if the team keeps playing like this.
Sept. 13
USC
35 ... Ohio State
3
Ohio State appeared ready to mount a challenge with an early 3-0
lead and a touchdown that got called back on a penalty, but USC got
on a roll and was never threatened as Mark Sanchez threw four
touchdown passes and Rey Maualuga picked off a pass for a 48-yard
score. Sanchez connected with Stanley Havilii on a 35-yard pass for
the first score, and found Blake Ayles for a one-yard touchdown
early in the second. Passes from 24 and 17 yards out to Damian
Williams put the game well out of reach. Ohio State managed just 207
yards of total offense, committed 10 penalties for 78 yards, and
turned the ball over three times.
Player of the game:
USC DE Kyle Moore made eight tackles, one
sack, two tackles for loss and recovered a fumble
Stat Leaders: USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 17-28, 172 yds,
4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 12-105. Receiving: Stanley Havili, 5-49, 1
TD
Ohio State - Passing: Todd Boeckman, 14-21, 84
yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Dan Herron, 11-51. Receiving: Ray Small, 6-30
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Buckeye lines
got destroyed by the USC lines. There were positive signs early on
with good, crisp drives, but a whole bunch of bad luck with
penalties, and then the team went into a funk once USC started
producing. Todd Boeckman had an awful game with too many poor
decisions, but he was under constant pressure. While the game got
out of hand and not much could've been done to change it, Jim
Tressel and the coaching staff might have to wonder why they didn't
go with Terrelle Pryor more in the first half when he was
effectively tearing off yards. Now the team has to regroup, get by
Troy and Minnesota, and be ready for a showdown at Wisconsin. The
Buckeyes could still play USC again in the Rose Bowl.
Sept. 6
Ohio State 26 ... Ohio 14
Ohio State struggled to get the 800th win in the program's history
as Brandon Saine ran for a two-yard score in the fourth quarter for
the lead and Ray Small put it away with a 69-yard punt return for a
score. The Bobcats took a 14-6 lead midway through the third on a
fumble recovery for a score, but the offense turned it over five
times and finished with just 254 yards. Ohio State only managed 272
yards of total offense with the rushing tandem of Dan Herron and
Maurice Wells combining for 98 yards and a touchdown in place of the
injured Beanie Wells.
Player of the game:
Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis had a team-high
nine tackles, an interception, and a broken up pass.
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Boo Jackson, 9-25, 86 yds, 3
INTs
Rushing: Donte Harden, 11-63, 1 TD. Receiving: Chris Garrett, 3-2
Ohio
State
- Passing: Todd Boeckman, 16-26, 110 yds
Rushing:
Dan Herron, 12-50, 1 TD. Receiving: Ray Small, 5-27
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Uh, was that really
what Ohio State could come up with against Ohio? Chalk it up to not
having Beanie Wells, and the lookahead to USC factor certainly had
to come into play, but the offense didn't have a spark and the
defense, despite giving up just 254 yards and forcing five
turnovers, had problems early on with the spread. The big problem
going into the showdown with the Trojans? The offensive line. It
gave up three sacks and didn't dominate for the ground game like it
needed to. OSU has good backs; they simply didn't have enough room
most of the time.
Aug. 30
Ohio State 43 ...
Youngstown State 0
Everything was perfect for Ohio State in the blowout win except for an injury to
star RB Chris Wells. Beanie started off the game with a 43-yard scoring run on
the first drive, but he later went down with a foot injury after rushing for 111
yards on 13 carries. Ryan Pretorius kicked four field goals before Todd Boeckman
threw two touchdown passes hitting DeVier Posey on a 25-yarder and Brian
Robiskie from 31 yards out. Terrelle Pryor came in and was fantastic completing
four of six passes for 35 yards and running nine times for 52 yards and a score.
Youngstown State was held to -11 rushing yards.
Player of the game:
Ohio State RB Chris Wells ran 13 times for 111 yards and a touchdown and caught
three passes for ten yards
Stat Leaders: Youngstown State - Passing: Todd Rowan, 8-13,
46 yds
Rushing: Dana Brown, 5-11. Receiving: Dominique Barnes, 3-33
Ohio State - Passing: Todd Boeckman, 13-19, 187 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chris Wells, 13-111, 1 TD. Receiving: DeVier Posey, 4-47,
1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Ohio State was
nearly perfect against Youngstown State with as good a game as it could've asked
for in the season opener. However, if the injury to Beanie Wells turns out to be
serious in any way,
it'll obviously be a big blow with USC coming up in two weeks. Even if all turns
out fine, the injury in the opener should mean more work for the
deep stable of backs as well as the passing game. On the plus side, Terrelle
Pryor looked like the real deal getting his feet wet as he showed off his
tremendous rushing ability and good passing touch. He wasn't asked to do too
much, but he gave Buckeye fans a glimpse of how good he can be. A bit under the
radar was the play of the run defense. It might have just been Youngstown State,
but the Buckeye defense front didn't allow a thing holding the Penguins to -11
yards.
2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: Don't let the haters (sorry for using that
term, but it fits) ruin the facts; this really might be the best team in
America going into 2008. DE Vernon Gholston is gone, but the return of
LB James Laurinaitis and CB Malcolm Jenkins, when they would've been
drafted in the top 15 had they left early, all of a sudden means the
defense should be among the best in the nation again. The offense gets
nine starters back including all the top players other than OT Kirk
Barton. If that wasn't enough, PK Ryan Pretorius and P A.J. Trapasso
might be the best kicking combo around.
Why to be grouchy:
Fine, so you still don't want the Buckeyes anywhere near your national
championship after the way the last two seasons ended. If they get
there, they'll have certainly earned it more than they did in 2007 with
road games at USC, Wisconsin and Illinois. The overall speed,
athleticism, and NFL talent is in place. So why the problems against
Florida and LSU? OSU was every bit as good as those two, so the coaching
staff has to figure out what's going wrong at the highest of the high
levels.
The number one thing to work on is: The psyche. If the team gets
its head on straight, this could be a jaw-dropping dominator from the
start. However, you don't take the beating in two straight title games,
in the press, and in the court of public opinion, without having a sense
of self-doubt start to creep in. Having a glass is half-full attitude,
the team played for the national title in three of the past six years.
Jim Tressel and the boys must be doing something right.
Biggest offensive loss: OT Kirk Barton
Biggest defensive loss:
DE Vernon
Gholston
Best returning offensive player: RB Beanie Wells, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: LB James Laurinaitis, Sr. & CB
Malcolm Jenkins, Sr.
2007 Recap
2007 Recap:
Those ripping into the Buckeyes for losing another national
championship game to an SEC team forget that this was supposed to be
a down year for the school. As power programs are prone to do, Ohio
State rebuilt on the fly in 2007, climbing to No. 1 in the country
and winning another Big Ten title with an improbable 10-0 start. RB
Chris Wells was better than advertised, and QB Todd Boeckman did a
nice job of succeeding Troy Smith, but it was the Buckeye D that
paved the way, topping the national charts in both total defense and
scoring defense.
Offensive Player of the Year: RB Chris Wells
Defensive Player of the Year: LB James Laurinaitis
Biggest Surprise: Boeckman. Yeah, he threw a few too many
picks down the stretch, but Boeckman ended all the hand-wringing
over, and played much better than expected in his first season
replacing a Heisman winner. Built like a SAM linebacker with a huge
arm, he’s liable to make his own push for individual honors and an
NFL contract in 2008 after throwing 25 touchdown passes in his
debut.
Biggest Disappointment: Even more than the upset loss at home
to Illinois, getting exposed by LSU in New Orleans won’t go away
anytime soon. Carrying the tattered Big Ten banner, and on a
mission to erase the memory of last year’s collapse to Florida, Ohio
State just couldn’t keep pace with the Tigers after opening up an
early 10-0 lead.
Looking Ahead: Take 3, anyone? The Buckeyes will again be
loaded with enough talent on both sides of the ball to be playing
for a national championship next January. The first huge test for
the program comes in September, when Ohio State travels to the
Coliseum to face USC.
2008
Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
Michael Brewster
OL/C 6-6 305 Orlando, FL
Outstanding offensive lineman from Florida ... U.S. Army
All-American Bowl and Maxwell Award ... Parade and EA Sports
All-America ... USA Today all-USA ... Orlando Sentinel Top 5 ...
Tampa Tribune "Best of the South" ... Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Super Southern 100" ... Top 100 ranking from ESPN, Scout, Rivals,
PrepStar, Superprep
Potential Instant Impact Players
Mike Adams
OL/OT 6-7 308 Dublin, OH
Blue-chip offensive line prospect ... helped Coffman to a 13-1
record and the state semifinals ... all-Ohio as a junior and senior
... all-metro, all-district and all-OCC ... U.S. Army All-American
Bowl ... Parade and EA Sports All-America ... Detroit Free Press
"Best of the Midwest" No. 1 ... USA Today all-USA ... Top 100
national ranking from ESPN, Scout, PrepStar, Superprep.
DeVier Posey
WR 6-2 190 Cincinnati, OH
All-Ohio, all-Cincinnati, all-league and all-district receiver ...
47 receptions for 770 yards, 7 TD as a senior; 33 catches for 750
yards, 9 TD as a junior ... U.S. Army All-American Bowl and Maxwell
Award ... Greater Catholic League receiver of the year ... Top 100
nationally from Scout, Rivals, PrepStar, Superprep ... holds school
record at 200 (21.5) and 400 (47.78) meters ... also a three-year
basketball letterman ... 33-inch vertical jump ... honor student and
academic all-star
Rest of the Class
|
Ben Buchanan |
K |
5-10 |
191 |
Westerville, OH |
|
Nic DiLillo |
TE |
6-5 |
219 |
Madison, OH |
|
Zach Domicone |
ATH |
6-3 |
215 |
Xenia, OH |
|
Garrett Goebel |
DT |
6-5 |
264 |
Lombard, IL |
|
Travis Howard |
DB |
6-0 |
172 |
Miami, FL |
|
Orhian Johnson |
ATH |
6-2 |
178 |
Gulfport, FL |
|
Jermil Martin |
RB |
6-1 |
230 |
Cleveland, OH |
|
Willie Mobley |
DE |
6-2 |
260 |
Eden Prairie, MN |
|
Shawntel Rowell |
DT |
6-4 |
325 |
Cleveland, OH |
|
Etienne Sabino |
LB |
6-3 |
222 |
Miami, FL |
|
J.B. Shugarts |
OL |
6-7 |
299 |
Klein, TX |
|
Jake Stoneburner |
TE |
6-6 |
223 |
Dublin, OH |
|
Andrew Sweat |
LB |
6-2 |
225 |
Washington , PA |
|
Lamaar Thomas |
ATH |
5-11 |
181 |
Fort Washington, MD |
|
Keith Wells |
DE |
6-5 |
211 |
Gainesville, GA |
|
Nathan Williams |
DE |
6-5 |
245 |
Washington Court House, OH |