2007 SEASON PREVIEW: AUGUST 25, 2007

Talented Ohio State Starts Anew After Title Meltdown

By Paul Smith / smith@collegeblitz.com

Columbus » Rebuilding season. Reloading? Retooling? How about rethinking?

Football writers are nothing if not dog-days desperate for self-fulfilling adjectives to attempt to capture their teams' training camp atmosphere as they assess the new season.

Just last Monday, Charlie Weis gave one journalist "The Look" when asked whether he would apply "rebuilding" to a Notre Dame team that lost All-American quarterback Brady Quinn, now with the Browns, highly-acclaimed wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, who turned down the pros for a contract as a Cubs' pitching farmhand, versatile running back Darius Walker and a handful of other talents.

"May God strike me dead if I use the word 'Rebuilding,' he'd told South Bend's WNDU-TV and a huge media contingent, whose backround titters accompanied a gleam in Weis' eyes. "It's not fair to the returning players."

So here we were, walking through the concourse of historic Ohio Stadium three days later, and a pool of five players, who all laughed at Weis' reaction -- "I saw that on ESPN," said leading quarterback prospect Todd Boeckmann, a talented 6-foot, 5-inch dropback passer out of St. Henry, Ohio. Wow." -- and all decided "Reloading" would work.

Indeed. There is talent nearly everywhere you look. Boeckmann, a skilled passer, will battle the very athletic Antonio Henton, a 6-2 redshirt frosh and sophomore Robbie Schoenhoft for the starting position. But most, if not necessarily coach Jim Tressel -- at least not publicly, see Boeckmann as likely starter.

The Buckeyes did suffer staggering personnel losses from a team that played for the national championship last January.

Take the trifecta of losing two of the nation's very best players -- Heisman Trophy winning Q.B. Troy Smith, returner/wideout megatalent Ted Ginn, Jr., slotback Anthony Gonzalez, all first-round picks, that ought to be enough to arch a few veteran eyebrows an inch or two.

Add tailback Antonio Pittman, offensive linemen T.J. Downing and Doug Datish, and 3 of the Big Ten's best down linemen -- Quinn Pitcock, David Patterson and Jay Richardson and ...

Behold coach Jim Tressel's smile. "There's really not much you can say. Losing players is something every team does. You build a roster that you hope withstands it," he said. "I think we've got some guys who have a chance to be very, very good football players."

He absolutely knows it. And with a 62-14 record (.816 won-lost percentage), one national championship, another trip to the championship game, and four Bowl Championship Series games in six years, who's going to argue?

The offense has some of the same potential you saw the last couple of seasons. You don't have to be Clarence Darrow to present the case.

The bookends are established pro prospects. With guards Steve Rehring and Ben Person and three very talented center prospects checking in, it's pretty solid evidence the Buckeyes will have one of two or three best offensive lines in the Big Ten, one of the better ones in the country.

"We've got plenty of talent this year," said Barton, a fifth-year senior from Massillon's Perry High School and a distinct All-America candidate. "Half our team was All-Americans, so it'll be hard to replace them.

But you can't match the upcoming players with those from (last year).

"Our coaches have done a good job of preparing us for the upcoming season. Not everybody plays Texas for game two (as the Bucks did last year, upsetting the Longhorns 24-7 in Austin).

"I think it scares people. We have to have that kind of excitement for every game this season."

Cynics will search the opening two games -- I-AA Youngstown State and Akron -- and discard the fact the Buckeyes then visit a Washington team that could contend in the very, very tough Pac-10 Conference.

The league schedule includes visits to Penn State, Purdue and Michigan a serious home challenge against Wisconsin.

"The only way to get penalized for your schedule is to lose games," Tressel protested. "If we win our games, we'll be fine. If we lose games, we won't be okay."

You scramble through the depth chart and remember Barton and Alex Boone, two huge bookend tackles who played key roles in the Buckeyes' ability keep Michigan's blitzing defense off Troy Smith and strafe the Wolverines' proud defense for 42 points and 503 yards in a rousing 42-39 win over the second-ranked Wolverines that solidified the Bucks' No. 1 rating at regular-season's end.

With Rehring and Person, along with a talented trio of sophomore Jim Cordle, redshirt freshman Connor Smith and junior Tyler Whaley vying for Datish's spot, you look at the returning skill position players and allow yourself a sigh of relief.

Emerging in the spring practice-ending Scarlet-Gray scrimmage were flashy wideout Devon Lyons, who will more than capably back up productive junior Brian Robiskie, who emerged as a major deep threat in the second half of last season.

"We have a lot of guys here who are very talented and they will step up," said Robiskie, another northeast Ohio product (Chagrin Falls) who caught five touchdown passes last year. "I think we have a good group of guys coming back and I'm excited."

He's got some pretty convincing reasons. Running back Brandon Saine, a true freshman out of Piqua, has been the talk of the team, a potential big-play, defense-stretching type a la Ginn or Chris Gamble who could provide some major headaches for defensive coordinators from State College to Seattle.

Junior wide receiver Albert Dukes had an outstanding Scarlet-Gray scrimmage, and Rory Nicol emerged as a very solid tight end prospect.

"I feel like (the loss of Ginn creates) a lot of opportunities for new guys to step up. Once you get that opportunity, you have to make the best of it, because it's only going to be there for so long."

Lest they be forgotten, the Wells boys -- sophomore Chris and junior Maurice -- provide major running game punch, a sort of Mutt & Jeff combo, with "Beanie" a 6-1, 225-pound plowhorse and Maurice a classic tailback at 5-10, 190. Both have the breakaway speed Tressel values.

In the astonishing Bowl Championship Series title game loss to Florida, many critics decided the Buckeyes played the speedy, aggressive Gators wearing imaginary snowshoes.

While it was true they were outquicked all night, it would be sheer idiocy to think Ohio State -- and, for that matter, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa -- don't compete in the same marketplace with the supposedly faster, quicker Southeastern Conference schools.

"It's about focus," junior defensive end Vernon Gholston said. "Last year we were left with a sour taste in our mouth, so we are looking forward to getting out there."

The biggest single culprit was the 51-day layoff (as opposed to Florida's 37) that many will admit, but not for the record, played the key role in Florida's decisive edge throughout the game.

Tressel and defensive coordinator will have to do some, ahem, building on the defensive side of the ball.

But Gholston and, of course, junior linebacker Jim Laurinaitis, the pro-wrestler's son, are two excellent cornerstones to start with.

'The team feels different -- everyone is eager to play," said junior defensive end Lawrence Wilson, who should replace Richardson without missing a beat.

The defense may be inexperienced, Laurinaitis said, but it is both talented and deep. Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock has a strong, if young talent pool from which to produce yet another stingy D.

"We have a lot of guys to rotate in and out of the lineup," said Laurinaitis, who is a linebacker in the A.J. Hawk/Bobby Carpenter/Anthony Schlegel mold.

"We know the guy behind us can fill in so we can play our hardest every time. Overall, I have a better concept of the defense and the system we want to run."

With the exceptionally quick linebacker Larry Grant helping Laurinaitis from sideline to sideline, and junior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and junior safety Jamario O'Neal headlining a solid O.S.U. secondary, you may understand why the term "reloading" probably will fit the Buckeyes best.

Michigan returns quarterback Chad Henne, tailback Mike Hart, wideout Mario Manningham, plus the usual obscenely huge offensive line.

As usual.

And as usual, the Wolverines view Ohio State as "unfinished business," as Chicago Tribune Big Ten maven Teddy Greenstein puts it.

So what else is new? The Buckeyes have been giving U-M the business ever since Tressel (5-1 vs. Michigan) took over in Columbus. As usual, the Wolverines are ranked in the top five. The Bucks, because of the personnel losses, are No. 10. And this year, O.S.U. visits the Big House in Ann Arbor.

"We've got 'em right where we want 'em," one of the O.S.U. personnel guys said, smiling.

Ninety-five days to The Game, if you're counting. And you can be sure millions of college football fans in Ohio and That State Up North most certainly are.

» The Ohio State sports information office contributed information for this story.