It didn’t take long last Saturday to see the difference between last year’s “Spring” game and this year’s. Last year, with rain, sleet, snow and wind chills in the ‘20’s, I motored right in to the parking lot just west of OSU hospital with no assistance. Now fast forward to 2006 with bright sunshine, blue skies and temperatures in the ‘60’s, and you get every traffic light on campus on flash, not to mention law enforcement and parking attendants at every turn.
63,649 fans turned out for the traditional end of spring practice, a Spring Game record. With $1 of the $5 ticket price going to the National Youth Sports Program, those involved with it had to be delighted. A walk-up crowd of 23,000 helped boost attendance considerably. Despite the south stands being closed and the red “Club Seats” for the wine-and-cheese crowd being around half-full, the remainder of the ‘Shoe was filled all the way to the top.
The game itself? Well, it was a nice day to work on your tan. The Scarlet pitched a 12-0 shutout over the Gray, and depending on whether you’re a glass-is-half-full or half-empty kind of person, you either bemoaned a lack of offense or reduced your fretting thinking about all the starters that need to be replaced on defense. In a pregame TV interview, Coach Jim Tressel said one of the main things about the spring game was it should be fun. Coach, I personally had A LOT more fun watching you roll up 617 yards against the Domers in Tempe. But again, with the defense winning the jersey scrimmage earlier in spring practice (and therefore earning the right to wear the scarlet jerseys during practice) and then giving up only one touchdown Saturday, it seems there’s a lot of guys on that side of the ball that are taking it personally that folks are worrying about what will happen defensively in the fall.
The Scarlet had first possession, and with Troy Smith at the helm the offense looked just like it had against Notre Dame. Two completions to tight end Rory Nicol (who will be a welcome sight there this fall) sandwiched around an Erik Haw run set the Scarlet up at the Gray 46. Smith then hooked up with Brian Hartline, a redshirt freshman making a push for the third receiver role, for 11 and a first down at the Gray 35. Then it was a play that I hope to see a ton of this fall- Smith to Anthony Gonzalez on a crossing route for 19 to the Gray 16. Troy then scrambled for 7- clothed in a black jersey, he was “off limits” for any contact except tag, basically- then turned things over to Erik Haw who pounded for 2 then 3 yards giving the Scarlet a first-and-goal at the Gray 4. Haw’s number was called again, and following excellent blocking from Tim Schafer and Rory Nicol, Erik barreled in for the score. Interestingly enough, with Antonio Pittman sidelined for the game, Haw had been the first tailback taken in the players’ draft. Ryan Pretorious tacked on the PAT and with 7:13 to go in the 12-minute first quarter the Scarlet led 7-0.
Justin Zwick, also decked out in a black jersey, came on to lead the Gray. He immediately found Roy Hall for 10 yards, then on 3rd-and-6 it was “Z” to tight end Marcel Frost for a first down at the Gray 36. At that point the defense went to work as Vernon Gholston “sacked” Zwick for a loss of 7, followed 2 plays later by a 9-yard loss courtesy of Jay Richardson. Following a punt (all of which, per Tressel, had to be fair caught), the Scarlet took over at their own 30. Troy Smith, who went 4 for 4 on the opening drive for 62 yards, must have been awfully drained wearing that black jersey in the heat as he donned a headset and turned the quarterbacking chores over to Rob Schoenhoft. The momentary disappointment over Troy’s day being done was tempered quickly as the gem of the ’06 recruiting class, Chris Wells, came on to play tailback. Wells broke a tackle on first down as he bounced around the right side for 8, but Schoenhoft underthrew Hartline on second-and-short and was almost picked off by Chad Hoobler on third down. AJ Trapasso came on to punt and boomed a 55-yarder to pin the Gray at their own 6, justifying why he had been the very first player taken in the draft.
Justin Zwick came on for a second series for the Gray, and on 3rd-and-7 from his own 10, he dialed up Brian Robiskie for 10 and a first down. Having an NFL coach for a father, I can see why Robiskie seemed to pick things up quicker than some of last year’s freshmen, and I’m not naïve to the fact that every recruit wants to play immediately. But why do I feel that the coaching staff wasted this kid’s freshman year? Barring injury, did he-or any other receiver- really think they’d see appreciable playing time with Holmes, Teddy and Gonzo in front of them?
The Gray was unable to sustain the drive as the game moved to the second quarter and they punted. Chris Wells brought the crowd to life with a 9-yard run around left end as he broke tackles from Brandon Mitchell and Andre Amos. The Scarlet worked the ball to the Gray 39 but were stopped, and A.J. Trapasso dropped a nice 9-iron down to the six- yard line. But hang on- the Scarlet team was called for holding, so Trapasso would try again from the 49. This time the ball was downed at the one-yard line, and on the very next snap redshirt freshman Todd Denlinger knifed into the backfield and roped Mo Wells for a safety, giving the Scarlet a 9-0 lead with 7:44 to go in the first half.
Trevor Robinson, who had been in at fullback on the ill-fated play which produced the safety, almost atoned on the free kick as he stripped the ball away from Jamario O’Neal, but the Scarlet’s Derek Harden was able to recover on his 35. On first down, Schoenhoft went to Brian Hartline for 15 to midfield. Three plays later, facing a 3rd-and-1, Schoenhoft picked up 3 on a quarterback sneak. The Gray “D” forced a 4th-and-6 moments later from the 33, but the Scarlet went for it and Schoenhoft hooked up with Hartline for 7 and a fresh set of downs at the Gray 26. Erik Haw picked up 7 on first down, but the drive stalled and Ryan Pretorious came on and drilled a 37-yard field goal to boost the Scarlet lead to 12-0 with 2:26 until the break.
Scarlet “head coach” Jim Bollman called for an onside kick, but Andre Amos recovered for the Gray at the Scarlet 48. Jay Richardson immediately rang up his second sack of the day, dropping Todd Boeckman for a loss of 8, but Boeckman came back to complete a pair of 10-yard passes to Roy Hall (including one on 4th-and-8) to give the Gray a first down at the Scarlet 36. Two penalties brought up a 1st-and-20 situation for the Gray, but once again it was Boeckman-to-Hall for 26 and now the Gray were at the 20. A quick out to Ted Ginn, Jr. gained 4, then Roy Hall “hauled” in his 4th reception of the drive, this one good for 10 more yards and a 1st-and-goal at the 6. Boeckman looped one toward Hall in the endzone on first down but freshman Kurt Coleman was able to wrestle it away. Following an incompletion, Boeckman ran a keeper to the 1 and the Gray called timeout with 4 seconds to go. Forgetting the field goal, Boeckman ran another sneak and appeared to have gotten in, but the officials ruled otherwise and the score remained 12-0 at the half.
In past years, the military band had performed for the spring game, but the band at this year’s game was not “in uniform” per se, and the sheer number of members greatly exceeded the usual amount in the military band, so it appeared to be a volunteer group. Nevertheless, they did a fine job with a “Hard Rockin’ 80’s” halftime show, featuring Tommy Tutone, Ozzy Osbourne and Bon Jovi (is it humanly possible that “Livin’ On A Prayer” is 20 years old this year?). But the highlight of the intermission was the introduction of 4 of Ohio State’s championship teams for this school year- the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the men’s gymnastics team, and most of the senior class of the 2005 football squad. While A.J. Hawk was actually in South Bend with fiancée Laura Quinn taking in the Notre Dame spring game as a guest of Charlie Weis, both the Scarlet and Gray sidelines were dotted with members of last year’s senior class, including Nick Mangold, Josh Huston, Nate Salley, Rob Sims, Mike Kudla and Anthony Schlegel. Also spotted were Santonio Holmes, Ashton Youboty and Donte Whitner, who will all hear their names called on Day 1 of this year’s NFL draft.
The Gray immediately went 3-and-out to start the third quarter. Chris Wells picked up 12 yards on 4 carries and also caught a 7-yard pass, while Brian Hartline and Brent Ullery had 5-yard receptions to set up a 3rd-and-2 situation at the Gray 37. But on back-to-back plays linebacker Chad Hoobler broke up pass attempts to Devon Lyons and then Ullery to halt the march. Todd Boeckman hooked up with Brian Robiskie for 23 to get things going for the Gray, then on 2nd-and-5 Dan Potokar caught a 7-yard toss to give his team a first down at the Scarlet 28. Tight end Marcel Frost found himself wide open in the Scarlet zone defense on first down but he flat dropped Boeckman’s pass. Mo Wells picked up 6 on an option pitch, then on 3rd-and-4 Frost caught a pass in the flat but was dropped for no gain. The Gray had passed up a field goal try down on the goal line at the end of the first half, and now on 4th-and-4 from the Scarlet 22 they again decided to go but Boeckman’s pass to Potokar was broken up by Austin Spitler.
Erik Haw picked up 10 on a draw play to move the sticks on first down for the Scarlet, but 3 plays later they faced 3rd-and-9 from their 38. Schoenhoft, trying to hit Brian Hartline down the seam, was picked by James Laurinaitis who had dropped into coverage and come over to help on the play. “Little Animal” returned the pick 18 yards to the Scarlet 32, and when Mo Wells closed out the third quarter with an 11-yard scamper to the Scarlet 21, it looked as if the Gray might produce a little fourth-quarter magic. However, on 3rd-and-7 from the 18, Boeckman’s pass to the endzone was picked off by Kurt Coleman, one of four members of the ’06 recruiting class to participate in spring drills. Coleman had picked up Brandon Smith swinging out of the backfield but when the pass went deep he left Smith and made the play.
The Scarlet could get nothing established after the pick, although Chris Wells had another nifty 11-yard run, once again shaking off the first hit. As the Gray resumed possession, Todd Boeckman found Albert Dukes for 23 yards and just like that the Gray was at the Scarlet 33. Two runs by Joe Gantz plus a facemask flag advanced the ball to the Scarlet 21. Boeckman had Marcel Frost open in the endzone but again Frost dropped the ball, eerily enough right about the same spot where Ryan Hamby….ah, let’s not go there. The Scarlet “D” eventually forced a 3rd-and-6 from the 17, where Boeckman was almost picked by Marcus Williams on a bad overthrow. On fourth down Boeckman was sacked by Ross Homan and the Gray’s last real chance went by the boards.
Devon Lyons had an 18-yard reception and Brian Hartline a pair of 19-yard catches as the Scarlet moved the ball to the Gray 30, but from there Hartline fumbled after making a 13-yard pickup and Anderson Russell recovered for the Gray. Boeckman connected with John Larsen for 31 yards to their own 48, but on the final Gray play Boeckman, looking for Albert Dukes, was picked by Jamario O’Neal to seal the deal (sorry to sound like Mother Goose there…)
With patchwork offensive lines in the spring game, not to mention the all-too-brief afternoon of Troy Smith, it’s impossible to forecast just how the offense will look in the fall. Basic things to look for in the spring game- Are the running backs going down with the first hit? Are they picking up yards on their own? Are the receivers catching the football? Are the quarterbacks putting the ball on the money? If you’re talking Chris Wells, your answer for the first two questions is yes. Some of the players were publicly saying that Wells needed to learn to hold on to the football, but other than that he was the real deal. Make no mistake, Antonio Pittman has earned his starting spot, but if Chris continues to improve he HAS to get carries. And quite honestly at this point I’d go with Erik Haw over Maurice Wells. There’s a reason Haw was the first RB chosen in the players’ draft. Yes, he got in Tress’ doghouse but he is playing with a whole lumberyard on his shoulder and seems determined to remain part of the equation.
Receiving-wise, will Roy Hall have one of those big senior years the coach preaches about, or will Brian Hartline or Albert Dukes end up the third receiver? Hartline had some big catches last Saturday. And what to do with the quarterback situation? If the Bucks get a big lead in games, do you play Justin Zwick and let Schoenhoft and Boeckman rust for another year? It will be interesting to see but it is certainly a world of difference from how crazy the QB picture was all throughout last summer.
When discussing the defense, I get the same feeling that I’ve had with some of OSU’s younger basketball teams throughout the years- they are probably going to drive us all nuts at times in the fall, but they’re gonna be fun to watch. Ohio State’s defensive unit has gotten faster and faster as the Jim Tressel era has progressed, and hopefully the speed and athleticism, not to mention the competition for starting spots, will help overcome the loss of experience and savvy from the ’05 unit. Trying to guess who the starting 11 will be defensively vs. Northern Illinois would be like filling out your NCAA hoops bracket- if 20 of us tried it, we’d probably have 20 different lineups. And when you’ve got the depth that OSU’s D-line and linebacking corps has, is that necessarily a bad thing?
Punting-wise, Tressel is in tall cotton with A.J. Trapasso. If not this year, he’ll be in the Ray Guy sweepstakes in 2007 for certain. Place-kicking, though, is another matter. Maybe they were just trying to keep the game interesting, but I have to wonder why Aaron Pettrey of the Gray squad didn’t even get a shot at kicking last Saturday. People can argue the Ryan Hamby drop all they want (and even I admit to taking a shot earlier in this article), but one of the biggest reasons the Bucks lost to Texas last year was Tressel’s over-reliance on Josh Huston and lack of faith in Troy Smith. I’m not rooting against any of our kickers, but Tressel will not have the luxury of leaning on his kicker as he’s been able to do for the last 4 seasons. And honestly, with the offense he has, he shouldn’t have to.
So now with the spring game in the books, we’ll check off the usual landmarks, if you will, on the way to the opener with Northern Illinois. The draft this Saturday, the release of the preseason magazines, the gradual announcements of the television schedule and the release of various polls. The excitement will build over the next four months and Buckeye Nation will dream of a fourth visit in five years to the Arizona desert (Just think, our younger Buckeyes heading to kindergarten probably think we just go to ‘Zona every year after beating that team with the ugly helmets. What else do they know?).
Finally, let’s all hope that by the time September 2nd rolls around that Tyson Gentry is well on his way to recovery. I vividly recall being in Raleigh in 2004 for the N.C. State game and listening to their P.A. announcer credit Tyson with every tackle Nate Salley made (they both wore #21) before someone finally corrected him in the second half. Many casual Buckeye fans may not have known who Tyson was until the unfortunate events of April 14th, but everyone does now and I urge all of our readers to take note of Tyson’s new “address” that Pat has posted on the home page and take time to send him your best wishes. Although he didn’t play football again, the Adam Taliaferro saga had a happy ending to it, and with Adam having talked to Tyson and basically saying he feels their injuries are similar, I have faith that Tyson will walk out of that southeast tunnel again very soon with his teammates.
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VS
April, 22nd, 2006
Attendance 63,649
Ohio Stadium - Columbus, Ohio
Scarlet 12 Gray 0
