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2005 Ohio State football preview
Aug. 31, 2005
2004 Record: 8-4 (4-4 Big Ten) There's a familiar buzz in Columbus, Ohio this time of year. With Ohio State football just around the corner, Buckeye faithful are reminiscing about national title memories of 2002. And why not? The Buckeyes are riding the momentum from a 5-1 second half of 2004 including a Alamo Bowl win over Oklahoma State, after a tenacious rebound from a 0-3 Big Ten Conference start last season. They return 18 starters - almost twice as many returned last year - to a team where every position is thick with talent. But the only impetus Coach Jim Tressel is counting on is his team's drive for another season of national success. "I think you can have (momentum) help you if you use it properly," he said. "the thing you have to fight is, don't use it to your disadvantage. It's not a freebie. It's not, `Hey, we played good at the end; we're going to play good at the beginning.' It's not a free pass." The Buckeyes offense is loaded with speed, but before Tressel can harness all that skill, he needs to choose a quarterback. Junior Justin Zwick will be the opening day starter, but fellow junior Troy Smith will challenge him for the job in game two. Zwick started the first six games of 2005, but a shoulder injury hampered his production and caused him to hand over starting duties to Smith for the rest of the regular season. Smith, a dangerous runner, revived the offense and led the Buckeyes to an upset of conference rival Michigan with a 386-yard, three touch down performance. Back in command for the Alamo Bowl, Zwick led the Buckeyes to a 33-7 rout of the Cowboys, despite playing most of the game with a hamstring injury. With his rushing skills, expect the multitalented Smith to challenge for the starting role. When Tressel realized the threats his receiving corps presented for the oppositions' defenses, he rewrote Ohio State's play book with spread offense schemes to get the most out of junior Santonio Holmes and speedy sophomore Ted Ginn Jr. The dynamic duo is one of the best receiving combinations in the country. The team's only genuine receiver at the start of last season, Holmes led the crew with 769 yards on 55 grabs and seven touchdowns. Holmes is a consistent target with All-America potential. Ginn, who didn't start until week four of last season, grabbed 25 receptions for 359 yards and is one of the most multifaceted threats in the league, having spent time at kick returner, cornerback, quarterback, running back and receiver. Tight end Ryan Hamby is a reliable short-range receiver, catching 16 passes for 178 yards and a score last year, and his blocking ability is shaping up to make him one of the best tight end in the league. Although the spread offense caters to the Buckeyes' receivers, Tressel expects balanced production from his young but talented rushing crew. Sophomore Antonio Pittman is the only returning starter, but he ran for 381 yards, one touchdown and a team-leading 5.3 yards per carry. Backup Eric Haw has track star speed and will push Pittman for playing time. Junior Stan White and sophomore Dionte Johnson join them in the backfield. White's speed and versatility - he can play tight end, too - make him a perfect backfield receiving target. Johnson, whose father is former Ohio State great Pepper Johnson, is a athletic blocker. Rimington Award candidate Nick Mangold leads the pack of four starters returning to the Buckeyes' offensive line. Mangold, whose NFL future is almost certain, anchors the line at center. Senior left tackle Rob Sims is a 310-pound wall with three years of starting experience and NFL scouts' attention. At right guard is senior Doug Datish, a strong blocker with good feet, and opposite him is junior T.J. Downing, who played tackle for two years but will move inside to provide solid run-blocking. Growing pains also hindered the defensive line in 2004, but an experienced rotation returns, ready for aggressive pass rush schemes and big-play production. Senior Marcus Green has the speed and size (6-5, 275) to be a dominant rushing resistance. After a 49-tackle performance in 2004, junior right tackle Quinn Pitcock has the athleticism and strength to compete with the best in the league. Recovering from shoulder surgery kept defensive end Mike Kudla from playing at 100 percent last year, but he made 28 stops and a team-best four sacks. Joining him at end is two-year reserve Jay Richardson. The defensive front hopes to pave a solid way for one of the nation's deepest linebacking units, which returns five players with next-level potential. A production powerhouse returns in senior A.J. Hawk, whose 4.46 speed and big-play instincts make Hawk a tackling machine. Hawk's 141 tackles ranked fifth-best in the country. Senior Bobby Carpenter nearly matched Hawk's 40-yard-dash performance with 4.5 speed of his own. Another pro prospect with a tremendous hitting style, Carpenter made 93 stops and three interceptions last season. Air Force transfer Anthony Schlegel didn't miss a step when he stepped into the starting lineup at middle linebacker last season after Mike D'Andrea suffered a torn ACL. Schlegel made 84 tackles and three and a half sacks. D'Andrea expects to return healthy enough to press Schlegel for playing time this fall. In the Buckeye secondary, three experienced starters return for new defensive backs coach Paul Haynes. Junior cornerback Ashton Youboty is another potential NFL-bound starter who made 61 tackles and four interceptions, and broke up 14 passes last year. Senior Tyler Everett will lineup opposite Youboty. Everett, a former safety, made 39 stops and broke up six passes last year. Ginn could potentially see part-time play at corner, the position for which he was originally recruited, and could bring his electrifying speed and instincts to the group. Free safety Nate Salley is three-year starter and a tremendous athlete whose intimidating presence makes him one of the best at his position in the league. A former Ohio State basketball player, Salley made 55 tackles and two interceptions in 2004. Ginn also led the Buckeyes' special teams with spectacular returns, averaging a Conference-best 25.6 yards. He also tied an NCAA single-season record, running back four returns for touchdowns. With Holmes dropping deep, too, the Buckeyes led the league with a 16.3-yard return average. Senior place-kicker Josh Huston is using his sixth year of eligibility to replace the school's first All-America kicker, David Nugent, and redshirt freshman A.J. Trapasson will use his strong leg to follow up the departed Kyle Turano at punter. Everyone is talking about the primetime Texas showdown, but Hawk, who grew up playing against RedHawks quarterback Josh Betts, is zeroed in on the season-opener against perennial Mid-American Conference contender Miami University. "People say, how do you not overlook Miami? Just this summer, you can see how good they are," he said. "They have a ton of talent on that team, so after the Miami game, I think we can talk about Texas. Obviously Texas is in the back of our minds because we're excited to play them." After a poor showing against Iowa last season, the Buckeyes are ready for a rematch in Columbus. The biggest Conference hurdle may be the season-ending trip to Ann Arbor, but the Buckeyes' schedule will provide difficult tests every week while the Buckeyes try to add another championship to their trophy case.
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