 | Mr. Bucknuts' Bucket Of Bullets
March 19, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "Mr. Bucknuts finishes the recruiting season so that you can all focus on other stuff this year. Plus, he has his weekly laugh at Notre Dame, talks recruiting oddities, pornography and our upcoming (just 165 days from now) football season. All mixed together in this week’s bucket - the Bucket of Bullets..." |
OSU seeks answers to painful loss
February 8, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "When Jim Tressel watched Chicago's Devin Hester return the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the Super Bowl, he wanted to shout at the television screen to the rest of the Bears, 'Stay off Hester'..."
Title-game trips haven’t produced top recruits
February 6, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Until top prospects Jermale Hines and Cameron Heyward stepped forward in recent weeks to become part of the Ohio State 2007 football class, Buckeye fans were having flashbacks to the winter of 2003. Back then, with the recently won national championship trophy on the mantel, everything should have been going right for the Buckeyes. But on national letter of intent signing day, everything went wrong, at least in terms of a big finish..."
What Happened After That
So you think college-football recruiting is an inexact science? Several economists would beg to disagree.
Two Buckeyes left off list of combine invitees
February 2, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "March 10 just became a lot more important to Antonio Smith and T.J. Downing. That’s when Ohio State will have its annual pro day, in which Buckeyes draft prospects work out for NFL scouts..."
Draft Outlook
| Mr. Bucknuts' Bucket Of Bullets
February 1, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "The flames of recruiting paranoia, handicap the Class of 2008, talk about some inside Bucknuts stuff and simply ramble and rant about recruiting in general..." |
 | Small change could help recruiting madness
January 19, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - "ESPN.com asked five of its analysts to discuss one change they would like to see in college football...'Write about recruiting -- it is insane. They get too much attention!' This was the fervent observation of my wife, Carolyn,..."
Football recruiting a five-star scandal, panel told
January 22, 2007 Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution - "College football recruitniks need to get a life. That warning came from witnesses Monday before the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics who claimed that external pressures are warping the recruiting process, damaging the psyches of 17-year-old high school athletes and corrupting parents and coaches..." |
Ohio State's Troy Smith, right, of the North team, jumps onto Florida's Chris Leak, of the South team, after the North's 27-0 win in the Senior Bowl. |
| Smith sparks North to 27-0 win over Leak, South
January 28, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "This time, Troy Smith was smiling after the game. The Ohio State star outplayed Florida's Chris Leak in a rematch of quarterbacks from the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, leading the North to three scores and a 27-0 win over the South in the Senior Bowl on Saturday..."
Complete Stats & Play-by-Play
Browns get clouded view of Smith's passing talents
January 28, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
10 thoughts about the Senior Bowl
January 28, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer |
 | TRESSEL TALKS
January 21, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Ohio State coach discusses Buckeyes and the national championship game...said he is most disappointed for the outgoing players..."
Tressel remains genuine
January 28, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The Jim Tressel that Jay Richardson met in his living room while a senior at Dublin Scioto High School was pretty much the same man five years later inside the locker room after Ohio State’s stunning 41-14 loss to Florida in the BCS championship game..." |
There’s still life if lineman snubs OSU
January 24, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Buckeyes’ recruiting class takes hits, but still viable..."
OSU recruiting class likely to be smaller this year
January 21, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "Three top players whom OSU had targeted chose other colleges just before the BCS title game..." (Also from the DDN: OSU football recruiting class is not rated elite)
National signing day is February 7, or as it is more popularly know NLOI Day. Check out this year's recruits by going to 'Recruiting' in the site navigation below.
 | Coach Tressel Responds
January 19, 2007 Source: YouTube-Audio - "Coach Tressel responds to National Championship loss" |
Plain talk from Tressel might help OSU fans heal
January 19, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "All Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel needs to get himself off the hook is a winning halftime adjustment - something he didn’t have 11 days ago. I have just the thing. If he were to tweak his famous 'proud of our young people...in 310 days in Ann Arbor' speech, delivered during halftime of an Ohio State men's basketball game six years ago, Tressel could cover his Buckeyes’ behind for the winter..."
 | Views on Smith's NFL value vary
January 18, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "From high praise to stinging criticism, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith is getting plenty of both from NFL scouts in the wake of the Buckeyes' 41-14 loss to Florida in the BCS Championship Game. Smith's poor performance didn't help his draft status..." |
 | OSU wasn't prepared mentally, Tressel says
January 18, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "He spoke to WBNS-AM (1460) yesterday in his first public comments since the debacle on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz. He told hosts Kirk Herbstreit and Bruce Hooley that as he evaluated the game, mental preparation had more to do with it than Florida's supposed speed advantage..." |
Life goes on in Ohio -- just barely
January 17, 2007 Source: Ohio State Lantern - Travis Minnear writes, "I have lived one of the most horrifying lives that any sports fan could ever have. I'm still reeling from Ohio State's loss in the BCS National Championship Game. The defeat disrupted my life badly. Only recently have my sleeping patterns returned to normal..."
Why Ohio State flopped
January 14, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "Everyone has an opinion of what happened to Ohio State in the desert. And almost everyone is right, at least in part...Between Christmas break and Dec. 30, Ohio State lost its edge. The players arrived in Arizona as if they were on vacation. They soaked in the limelight. They enjoyed themselves and had fun...Offensive Coordinator and line coach Jim Bollman called the team together once and tried to get them back. The coaches sensed they had lost their players. They sensed they believed the headlines...They lost their focus..."
Autopsy results are in on title game
January 14, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Apparently, Ohio State plays well only in open-air stadiums in Arizona. After three wins in four years in the cool desert evenings of Sun Devil Stadium, the Buckeyes melted in the controlled climate of University of Phoenix Stadium. Certainly, that was the main reason why the Buckeyes lost, right?..."
OSU challenge: Restore confidence, reload roster
January 11, 2007 Source: CentralOhio.com - "Following Ohio State's 41-14 collapse Monday night against Florida in the BCS national title game, where do the Buckeyes go from here? Will they have the personnel to make a run at another national championship in 2007? Can they overcome the loss of 10 senior starters, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith, and possibly three junior defectors to the NFL?..."
Stunning loss will motivate
January 10, 2007 Source: Ohio.com - "Returning players want to get back to work..."
 | Next QB? It will be one of three
January 14, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - " He hasn’t played a down at Ohio State, but Antonio Henton already is leading the Buckeyes in bravado. Sitting in the University of Phoenix Stadium stands Jan. 5, the redshirt freshman quarterback made a bold prediction about the future of the position..."
Quarterback Candidtates |
College football: The ends junk the means
January 14, 2007 Source: Detroit Free Press - "Before we close the book on the college football season, I wonder if you had the same feeling I did watching Florida trounce Ohio State for the national championship. It didn't leave me cheering. It didn't leave me satisfied. It left me depressed..."
 | Gonzo: Gonzalez Declares For NFL
January 11, 2007 Source: Scout Bucknuts
Gonzalez says farewell
January 12, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Ohio State junior struggles with decision but chooses to leave for career in NFL..."
Early entrants
January 15, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - Since 1990 24 Buckeyes have left early for the NFL. Click here to see who they were, what round they were drafted and which teams drafted them. |
| Mr. Bucknuts' Bucket Of Bullets
January 12, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "Mr. Bucknuts made it through the destruction in the desert and is back in Bucknuts headquarters to share his thoughts on the game. What did he see from his seat in University of Phoenix Stadium? All that plus thoughts on the rest of the bowl season, the Nick Saban situation, and more..." |
 
 | Gators stun No. 1 Buckeyes 41-14 for BCS title game rout
January 9, 2007 Source: USA Today - "It was a night for the improbables to shine. When No. 2 Florida, an underdog many thought wouldn't come close to beating No. 1 Ohio State, thrashed the Buckeyes 41-14 in the Tostitos Bowl Championship Series title game Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium, there were plenty of unlikely stars..."
 Tressel Caught Unprepared & More Videos
Tressel, Buckeyes crack under pressure
January 9, 2007 Source: WashingtonPost.com - "Questionable call in 2nd quarter was sign of desperation..."
In title rout, Tressel's lore gets bruised
January 10, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "The Florida Gators, surrounded by confetti in celebration of the empire they had won, would not even call the opposing quarterback whose game they had shredded by his real name.'First time I hit Heisman, it was so hard I heard him grunt,' said Gators defensive end Derrick Harvey of Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith..."
On the verge of being crowned a king, Tressel loses his Midas touch
January 9, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Jim Tressel doesn’t look and sound any different. Same sweater vest. Same rimless glasses. Same measured manner. Same verbiage in his games of interview pong with the news media. But late in the first half of the national championship game against Florida, the Ohio State coach turned into the reincarnation of Yortuk Festruna, one of Saturday Night Live’s wild and crazy guys..." |
Gators run, stun
January 9, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Florida dominates Ohio State on both sides of ball in winning title..."
Box Score
Drive Chart
Play-by-Play
DESERT DISASTER: Near-perfect Gators shred Bucks' dream
January 9, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Ohio State's expected coronation quickly turned to desperation Monday night at the hands of the Florida Gators. At its greatest height, the Buckeyes' championship season fell apart..."
Florida Had a Plan and Executed It
January 9, 2007 Source: New York Times - "The moments all played out after Florida’s upset of Ohio State on Monday in the Bowl Championship Series title game as if they had been scripted...But Florida has one of the country’s top recruiting classes coming in next season, including nine who have enrolled early and started class Monday..."
Florida employs the perfect form against Ohio State
January 9, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - "It would be an insult to Florida to say the Gators pulled a Villanova on Monday night. Florida was no Villanova '85, no Cinderella, no No. 8 seed riding some miracle run. It was a deserving participant in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, and Ohio State had the physical and emotional bruises to prove it Tuesday morning..."
Quarter by quarter look at OSU shipwreck
January 9, 2007 Source: Canton Repository
Buckeyes Discuss Disappointing Defeat
January 9, 2007 Source: Scout Bucknuts - "Here is the transcript from the Buckeyes post-game press conference...."
OSU Locker Room a Sad Place As Buckeyes Reflect on Embarrassing Defeat
January 9, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "The Ohio State football locker room is only open about once a year, after the bowl game, and until this year, it's been a pretty happy place to visit of late. On Saturday, however, reporters entered a very different kind of locker room..."
Ginn, Smith Comment on Painful Loss
January 9, 2007 Source: Scout Bucknuts - "Ted Ginn began the national championship game as well as he ever could have hoped to with a 93-yard kick return for a score, but after being injured on the play it quickly ruined his night and left Heisman quarterback Troy Smith without his main weapon. Smith and Ginn commented on the defeat at the hands of the Florida Gators..."
Buckeyes Fall In BCS Championship Game
January 9, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site - "Chris Leak and Tim Tebow showed off coach Urban Meyer's twin quarterback system to perfection as the No. 2 Gators became the first Division I school to hold football and basketball titles at the same time..."
Also:Key Play
From the Akron Beacon Journal: Key Play
Tressel's fourth-down call shocked Buckeyes
Linemen shoulder blame for fourth-down failure
January 9, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "Ohio State's offensive linemen applauded coach Jim Tressel for his gumption on a fourth-down gamble, but they squandered their chance to reward that confidence..."
DESERT DISAPPEARANCE - Underdog Gators overwhelm No. 1 Buckeyes to win title
January 9, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Ohio State's claim to the national championship lasted 51 days and 16 seconds. The Buckeyes showed the effects of the lengthy layoff and held their only advantage when junior flanker Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown..."
Scoring Summary, Team Statistics, Individual Statistics, Defensive Statistics, Game Participation ,Play-by-Play
January 9, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site
Postgame Notes From The 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
January 9, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site
0-8-I-O: SEC perfect against Bucks
January 9, 2007 Source: CentralOhio.com - "Kirk Barton knows devastation, and Monday's gut-wrencher in Glendale was not it. Not even close. But it is a distant runner-up, just like his team in the BCS title chase..."
Instant Analysis: BCS Championship Game
January 9, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "A senior quarterback displayed total command of an offense. A team with better weapons won. A coach born in Ohio ruled the college football world. A rout took place in Glendale. Just what most folks expected, right?..."
OSU just looked lost in the desert
January 10, 2007 Source: LimaOhio.com - "Now we know what Ohio State did in the 51 days between the Michigan game and the BCS national championship game against Florida. The Buckeyes forgot how to play football. Jim Tressel became a bad coach..."
Stream of Consciousness Notes - BCS Championship
January 8, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "Quarter by quarter game notes - 2007 BCS Championship: Ohio State vs. Florida..."
Meyer, Tressel opposites on this night
January 9, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - "Florida claimed the national title and silenced a legion of doubters with a dominating 41-14 win over Ohio State..."
Also: Gators attack: Florida gets title with rout of Ohio State
Gator-bit
January 9, 2007 Source: Sporting News.com - "Florida blows out the Buckeyes 41-14 to win the national title, but Matt Hayes says we shouldn't be surprised by the Gators' dominating defense..."
Total Package
January 9, 2007 Source: SI.com - "Speed. Power. It was a blowout in the BCS title game after all. But it was the Gators who were flexing their muscles in the 41-14 pounding of Ohio State, writes SI.com's Stewart Mandel..."
Total Domination!
January 9, 2007 Source: GatorCountry.com - "It turned out the national media analysts were right, there was a team in Glendale that had no business playing for the national title. The Ohio State Buckeyes were dominated in every way imaginable as the Florida Gators claimed the second National Championship in school history..."
What they're saying about the Gators
January 9, 2007 Source: Gainesville Sun - "Following is a sampling of what writers have said about Florida's national championship victory over Ohio State on Monday night..."
UF's victory provides us with lessons
January 10, 2007 Source: Orlando Sentinel - "As Urban Meyer got in his cardio workout lifting various national championship trophies Tuesday morning, many lessons were hammered home..."
 | Heisman Jinx
January 9, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith swore he didn't believe in any Heisman jinx. He might feel differently now. The Heisman Trophy winner had his worst night when the Buckeyes needed his best - in the BCS national championship. Smith threw an interception, fumbled and threw for just 35 yards in the loss to Florida..."
Troy's story runs into Heisman Curse
January 9, 2007 Source: CBSSportsline.com - "At least Troy Smith got to see Disney World. And wear a tuxedo in Manhattan. And meet lots of famous people. Was it worth it, Ohio State?..."
Smith's final game one to forget
January 9, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Troy Smith's career was defined by cool and clutch play under pressure. His final game will be remembered as a desperate, scrambling mess..."
Troy Smith shows unrivaled grace, even in BCS defeat
January 9, 2007 Source: USA Today - "Looking back, it was 'How to Set a Guy Up For Failure 101'. Hand him the Heisman Trophy, which history warns is like handing a bowl-bound quarterback the wrong end of a hot iron. Put him in mothballs for seven weeks, while the other team's mad scientist studies theories on how to stop him. Have his top sidekick return the opening kickoff for a touchdown, then get hurt..." |
 | BCS Championship recap
Source: FoxSports.com
"The Gators got it done - convincingly. Watch highlights of Florida's 41-14 win over Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game and hear postgame reaction from the champs. FOXSports.com brings you BCS updates and videos from Arizona."
More video from FoxSports.com |
| CBSSportsline Video
Tressel After Shocking Loss, Meyer on Florida's 2nd Title, Chris Leak After BCS Win, Smith Falls Short In Big Game and more |
No secrets: Gators relied on speed and strategy
January 10, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "They didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Florida has used creative offensive sets all season, and relied on an underrated defense before. So it was more of the same in the Gators' 41-14 BCS Championship victory over Ohio State, when they merely used a skillful convergence of preparation, motivation and elementary execution to keep the Buckeyes off-balance all game..."
Gators’ defense leaves its mark in nasty mauling
January 9, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Most likely, anyone who watched the national championship game was suitably impressed long before that play, as the Florida defense harassed Smith from the first series and sparked the Gators to a 41-14 win..."
Stunning loss will motivate
January 10, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "The search for positives nearly came up empty after the worst loss in coach Jim Tressel's six seasons and the third-worst bowl defeat in Ohio State history..."
 | Urban Legend
January 9, 2007 Source: Associated Press Journal - "Florida wasn't even supposed to be on the field with Ohio State. If it weren't for Urban Meyer begging for his team to get a shot, the Gators likely wouldn't have even had the chance. Now Florida owns a national title. And, if coaches can be considered boy wonders at the age of 42, then maybe it's time to consider Meyer just that..."
No more ridiculing Meyer, Gators
January 9, 2007 Source: SportingNews.com - "They called him Urban Crier. Ridiculed his fancy-schmancy offense, scoffed at his corny, rah-rah philosophy. Told him he couldn't play with the big boys because, well, he and his team weren't like everyone else..." |
Lopsided loss leaves unsettling questions
January 10, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Life is comfortable here in the land of warmth and sunshine, a peaceful setting serving as a proper metaphor for how Ohio State waltzed, free of harm, through its football season until the frenzied Florida Gators devoured the Buckeyes..."
There’s plenty of blame to go around for this
January 9, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "Blame Troy Smith for Ohio State’s loss Monday night, and you would be right. But only partly right. Blame Jim Tressel. Blame the Buckeyes’ offensive line. Blame the Ohio State defense. You can blame anyone associated with the Ohio State football team. From the equipment guys who packed the truck to the guy who orders their lunch. They’re all at fault. More than anything, blame Ohio State’s attitude..."
Title Game Over, Blame Game Under Way
January 9, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "The offensive coaches? The defensive coaches? The offensive line? Just who was it that brought on the Disaster in the Desert. The Blame Game is on..."
Aftermath leaves questions
January 10, 2007 Source: The Morning Journal - "In just under four hours, Ohio State went from perhaps one of the greatest teams in college football to an absolute shattered mess. The Buckeyes were on the verge of becoming the first team in college football to win three 1 vs. 2 matchups, but given what Florida did to the Buckeyes in the national championship game Monday night, it's doubtful Ohio State could even play with LSU, another SEC team ranked third, just below the Buckeyes in the final Associated Press poll..."
 | Florida came away unimpressed by OSU
January 9, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "'Honestly, we’ve played a lot better teams than them,' Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss said. 'I could name four or five teams in the SEC that could probably compete with them and play the same type of game we did against them.'..." |
These three qualities have made Tressel great coach
January 7, 2007 Source: SI.com - "'The media makes such a big deal out of how we've changed the offense [during Tressel's Ohio State tenure]. All four national championships they won at Youngstown, their offense from one to another was completely different,' said Bollman, who was Tressel's offensive coordinator there for five years. 'Heck, the first year they won it, in 1991, they ran the option. 'It's hard to chalk up a six-year record of 62-13, a 19-game winning streak or 8-2 record against Top 10 teams to luck. The Buckeyes, it turns out, are simply the nation's best-prepared team...."
Buckeyes' program reflects Tressel's core themes
January 7, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - "He wasn't Ohio State's first choice. First choices don't have to call and ask if they could please be included on the list of head coaching candidates. First choices don't usually come from a Division I-AA program...But now, with Ohio State on the brink of its second national title in the last five seasons, it seems almost inconceivable that anyone but Jim Tressel would be the Buckeyes' coach..."
 | Tressel talks after practice
January 3, 2007 Source: Buckeye Grove - "This afternoon the Buckeyes hit the practice field once again and true to form it was closed to the media and onlookers, but head coach Jim Tressel and a couple of players stopped by after practice was done to talk with the media. Here is a transcript of what was said after practice Wednesday afternoon..." |
Buckeyes boot up to get a leg up
January 3, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Football players don't watch film. All that talk of Ohio State players like Troy Smith or Brandon Mitchell being film rats? Complete lies..."
Who Wins: Ohio State's O vs Florida's D?
January 3, 2007 Source: Buckeye Commentary - "Two forces will collide Monday night and the velocity of the impact will be enormous. No, I’m not talking about the game as a whole but the battle within the war. Ohio State’s offense led by Troy Smith will face up with Reggie Nelson’s Gator defense. These units are statistical giants but something has to give, right?..." |
Tressel, Meyer differ in style, share success
January 2, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "For more than 20 minutes, Jim Tressel sat behind a lectern and answered questions two weeks ago. He rarely smiled, never winked, never raised his voice, and hardly laughed - even at his own jokes...About 1,000 miles away, another bronze-skinned head coach 12 years Tressel’s junior did the same. Florida’s Urban Meyer might grow up to become Jim Tressel. He wants to, by the sound of things..."
Arrival Day Note and Quotebook
January 3, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "It's getting crowded in Arizona. The-Ozone has arrived, the Buckeyes have arrived, and now the Gators have arrived. Check out the-Ozone Arrival Day Note and Quotebook..."
Tressel Meets With Media In Arizona
January 2, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "It is game week in Arizona for No. 1-ranked Ohio State, which will play No. 2 Florida in the BCS national championship game Monday in Glendale, Ariz. (8 p.m., FOX). OSU coach Jim Tressel met with the media today to discuss the match-up with the Gators, among other topics..."
Coach Meyer and Tressel address the media
 | Desert Buckeyes
January 6,2007 Source: CBSSportsline.com - "Hundreds of Ohio State football fans have traveled to a small, nondescript community 35 miles outside of Phoenix. Why? The town is called Buckeye, and there are free T-shirts to be had..." |
 | Tressel's Biggest Victories
January 3, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "The list of victories Jim Tressel has achieved in a relatively short time at OSU is quite impressive. Several of the wins already rank among the biggest in school history. His biggest win could be yet to come, but before that, Bucknuts contributor Ben Koo took some time to count down Tressel's top triumphs..."
A Buckeye victory would allow Tressel to renegotiate contract
January 3, 2007 Source: CBSSportsline.com - "If top-ranked Ohio State beats Florida to win the national championship on Monday night, coach Jim Tressel will likely get a lot richer..." |
For OSU receiver, returner, defense won't rest
January 2, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "As a flanker and kick returner, he's one of the most electrifying players in college football. But Ted Ginn Jr. still believes he's a defensive back, the position he was recruited for when he came to Ohio State in 2003..."
Buckeyes settling in
January 2, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "The 11 palm trees ringing the fountain outside the lobby entrance, the five heated pools, the seven tennis courts, the five restaurants, the seven lounges and the quail hopping through the brush on 450 acres of desert luxury will welcome Ohio State today when the Buckeyes move into the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort and get down to bowl preparation..."
Tressel has ways to keep 'em guessing
January 1, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Coaches call trick plays 'gadgets.' Urban Meyer, whose Florida team meets Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game on Jan. 8, supposedly has more gadgets than James Bond. 'Everything they do is designed so they can get a trick play off it,' said OSU cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman, a former aide of Meyer's at Bowling Green..."
Buckeyes bowled over against SEC
December 31, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "On Jan. 1, 1996, on a sloppy, wet field, Ohio State cornerback Antoine Winfield slipped and Tennessee receiver Joey Kent didn’t. This was significant...The Volunteers won the Citrus Bowl 20-14...Four days later, OSU coach John Cooper held a news conference and brandished one of Kent’s shoes from the game. The cleats were threefourths of an inch long, or a quarterinch longer than NCAA rules allowed...Cooper claimed many Vols wore the offending footwear, giving them an advantage on the rain-soaked surface...'It’s unethical as hell,' Cooper said..."
OSU Football: Missing The Glory Train
December 31, 2006 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "'Dareus Hiley, he probably could have had the best career out of everybody, me, Troy, whatever name you want to say that came out of Glenville,' Ginn Jr. said....Even Ginn's father, Hiley's high school coach, won't argue that. 'Dareus was Ted,' Ted Ginn Sr. said. 'You think Ted can play? Ted copied Dareus. Dareus should be a top 10 pick.'..."
Buckeyes talked the talk before walking the walk
December 30, 2006 Source: CentralOhio.com - "Buckeyes captains led players-only meetings to help team bond, grow...Most of Buckeye Nation doesn't know this -- not even the coaches -- but Ohio State's football players apparently talk as good a game as they play..."
 | Ohio State's Ginn finally catching up with expectations
December 30, 2006 Source: USA Today - "The stats were not overwhelming. The lofty postseason honors never quite came. But to judge Ohio State receiver-return specialist Ted Ginn Jr. by the vapor of outsized expectations that have trailed him since his freshman year might be missing the point..." |
Buckeyes aim for balance in preparation schedule
December 30, 2006 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The resort hotel where top-ranked Ohio State set up camp yesterday will never be confused for a monastery, à la the southern California hideaway where coach Woody Hayes sequestered the Buckeyes to prepare for the 1971 Rose Bowl..."
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