Sun will shine, but Buckeyes offense might not at spring game
April 21, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "The weather should be fine, and there is a little mystery to go along with the excitement Ohio State's spring football game should produce today. Here are three things to watch..."
OSU Fans - National Champs!
April 20, 2007 Source: CoachTressel.com - "The great fan base that the Buckeyes boast continues to show support during off-season by filing into Ohio Stadium in record numbers. In 2006, the OSU faithful showed their Scarlet & Gray pride as over 60,000 fans..."
  
Buckeye QBs competing, but staying friends
April 21, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "Rob Schoenhoft is approaching the quarterback competition at Ohio State with the resourcefulness of a Survivor contestant, intent on being the last man standing. But there's one thing he won't do in his bid to finish on top: Spoil a friendship...Schoenhoft, a sophomore...is locked in a spirited battle for the starting job with junior Todd Boeckman and redshirt freshman Antonio Henton. But the three have cultivated bonds during a year's worth of meetings and drills, and they won't let the high stakes on the football field sully their relationships..." |
 | Proceed with caution
April 21, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Quarterback competition will come down to who makes the best decisions and fewest mistakes...The winner of the Ohio State quarterback competition won't be the guy with the biggest "wow" factor but whoever best avoids the "ow!" factor. When coach Jim Tressel chooses a starting quarterback, it's as if he's shopping for a home-security system. Safety is paramount. We must protect this house..." |
Buckeyes football players will run on 400 relay team
April 21, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Men's track coach Robert Gary said Tressel and football speed coach Butch Reynolds will supply the athletes from a pool of eight names that includes flanker Brian Robiskie, tailback Maurice Wells and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. Other baton-passing candidates are receivers Dan Potokar, Ray Small and Albert Dukes, and defensive backs Chimidi Chekwa and Donald Washington..."
 | Return game likely will go to Small
April 20, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Ohio State sophomore receiver Ray Small is inheriting big shoes. He is the top candidate to take over punt-return duties from Ted Ginn Jr...In the Buckeyes' kick scrimmage yesterday, Small returned seven punts for 41 yards (5.9 average). At times, he probably ran sideways too much or tried to make too many moves. But he also showed glimpses, such as on a 22-yard runback, or even on a 4-yard return when he crumpled Brandon Underwood to the ground with a nice juke-step..."
Kick Scrimmage Notes, Quotes
April 19, 2007 Source: Bucknuts - "Sophomore kicker Aaron Pettrey was 8-of-12 on field goals and made a 35-yard extra point on the final play to give his Scarlet team a 37-36 victory over the Gray in the special teams scrimmage on Thursday at Ohio Stadium. Junior punter A.J. Trapasso threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Rory Nicol on a fake punt to the tie score at 36-36 which set up Pettrey’s game-winner following an excessive celebration penalty (head coach Jim Tressel was encouraging the officials to make certain calls)..."
Pettrey, Trapasso Lead Scarlet To Kick Scrimmage Win
April 19, 2007 Source: BuckeySports.com - "Aaron Pettrey has made quite a name for himself during kick scrimmages while at Ohio State, and it was no different Thursday afternoon in Ohio Stadium. BuckeyeSports.com has a full report on who did what in the Horseshoe..."
Trapasso and Scarlet Make Plays to Win Kick Scrimmage
April 20, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "The spring kick scrimmage was held in Ohio Stadium today and it turned out to be a closely contested affair that was decided on the last series of plays..." |
 | New rule adds yards to kickoffs
April 20, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Ohio State kicker Aaron Pettrey said through hard work during the winter, he added about 3 or 4 yards to his kickoff length. Which is good, because he is going to need it. The rule-makers of college football opted to push the kickoff back 5 yards, to the 30, starting this season. They want fewer touchbacks, more returns. And if the snapshot offered at Ohio State’s kick scrimmage yesterday was an indication, that’s what they’re going to get. Pettrey, who knocked in touchbacks on 37 of his 64 kickoffs last season, didn’t come close to one on his three kickoffs yesterday in Ohio Stadium. His backup, Ryan Pretorius, didn’t, either..." |
 | Boeckman trying to be Buckeyes' starting QB
April 19, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "All those days spent holding a clipboard while standing on the sideline while somebody else played and got better - those are in the distant past as Boeckman tries to strengthen his grip on the starting quarterback job at Ohio State...'It's very tough to come out here and sit for three, 3 1/2, four years behind a couple of great quarterbacks like Justin (Zwick) and Troy (Smith),' Boeckman said Tuesday after one of the Buckeyes' last practices heading into Saturday's annual spring game. 'It's real tough to go out there and get maybe a couple of reps a day. It's tough, thinking, 'Oh, I wish I was on the field.' But I knew the situation coming in and I knew I had to bide my time. Now I hopefully can run with this opportunity.'..." |
 | Linebacker learning he can't look, think
April 19, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "A linebacker's world should not be confused with the top of a mountain or Rodin's sculpting studio. According to Austin Spitler, there's no time for the gazer or The Thinker. He knows, because back in the early days of his Ohio State playing career, which was last year, Spitler said he was thinking too much, pondering the possibilities instead of plunging into the gap..." |
 | OSU QB Henton has impressed
April 18, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "Ohio State coaches have been careful to quell the hype about quarterback Antonio Henton being the second coming of Troy Smith. But those who have tried to get their hands around the redshirt freshman from Georgia haven't been shy about making those comparisons..."
Troy's Gone - He's Antonio
April 19, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "Buckeye fans are looking for a reincarnation, the reincarnation of Troy Smith this season, and the Troy Smith du jour reincarnate is currently redshirt freshman quarterback Antonio Henton. Check out the-Ozone feature on Henton's prospects of winning the quarterback spot at OSU this fall..." |
 | Buckeyes’ Tressel looks for leaders
April 19, 2007 Source: Toledo Blade - "As the Ohio State Buckeyes opened spring football practice not quite a month ago, the tangible needs were obvious. The priority list included a new starting quarterback and some help at wide receiver and on the defensive line. The contenders and the candidates for those positions were clearly defined, and there should soon be some clarity on who will man those positions this fall. But it might take a while longer to determine the new leaders for the Buckeyes, who wrap up spring practice on Saturday with their annual Scarlet and Gray Game at 1 p.m. at Ohio Stadium..." |
 | Tressel's meddling upsets draft plan
April 19, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Kirk Barton had been scheming, coming up with a diabolical plan for his Scarlet team to dominate the Ohio State spring game Saturday..." |
Text messaging may be outlawed in recruiting
April 19, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The NCAA Division I management council has recommended a ban on all electronically transmitted correspondence, including text messages, between coaches and recruits. E-mails and faxes would be exempt from the new rule but would be limited by current NCAA guidelines..."
 | New Names Emerge in Defensive Backfield
April 18, 2007 Source: OhioStateScout.com - "Kurt Coleman, who can’t seem to avoid the ball if he tries, has moved to safety and made a strong bid to start this fall. Tyler Moeller, a tweener the coaches want to get on the field however they might, is also a new face among the last line of OSU’s defense. Among the young cornerbacks, Chimdi Chekwa is catching eyes with his athleticism, and Andre Amos was looking..." |
Tressel gives OSU hoops players coaching duties for spring game
April 18, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "Basketball point guard Mike Conley Jr. will be an honorary head coach in Ohio State's annual intrasquad Scarlet vs. Gray spring football game on Saturday. Conley will be assisted with the Scarlet squad by hoops teammates Cook, Mark Titus, Othello Hunter and Kyle Madsen. Jamar Butler, also a starting guard, will be the head coach of the Gray team, with help from Ivan Harris, David Lighty, Danny Peters and Matt Terwilliger. The 7-foot Oden was also offered a chance to coach, but had to turn down the opportunity to be the tallest college coach in the country. 'Oden is in the tank because his aunt is getting married,' Tressel told his team as they drafted players on Wednesday afternoon for the scrimmage. 'He's already started watching film, but he can't be here.'..."
 | Big Ten Network Spring Game Promotion Stops At Ohio State This Weekend
April 16, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site - "The Big Ten Network Spring Football Tour will stop in Columbus for the 2007 Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, April 21...Fans will have the opportunity to win a Big Ten Network jacket and free t-shirts and learn more about the network at the Big Ten Network kiosk, which will be located on the north side of Ohio Stadium near the rotunda..." |
Buckeyes Draft Scarlet and Gray Squads for 2007 Spring Game
April 18, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site - "The Ohio State football team held its player draft Wednesday to select teams for the 2007 Spring Game at 1:05 p.m. Saturday in Ohio Stadium. Defensive end Lawrence Wilson was the No. 1 pick in Wednesday's draft, by the Gray. Scarlet chose to draft the position of offensive tackle first and picked Alex Boone..."
2007 Spring Game Rosters and Depth Chart in PDF Format
Scarlet and Gray Draft Order
April 18, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "The draft for the spring game turned out to be more of contest of "take who's left" as the OSU coaching staff assigned a total of 38 player to rosters prior to the actual draft. Find out who was assigned, who was drafted, and in what order..."
And The First Selection Is...
April 18, 2007 Source: BuckeyeSports.com - "With the annual spring game slated for this Saturday, sides were selected this afternoon in the team meeting room at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Find out who went first and get all the details on the draft..."
Big Ten team-by-team spring guide
April 18, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - "Is Todd Boeckman on track to be the heir to Troy Smith at Ohio State?..."
 | Spring auditions continue for leading role in the fall
April 18, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "While the Ohio State coaching staff doesn't expect to name a starting quarterback for another four months, quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels said Tuesday that through 12 spring practices, the pecking order hasn't changed. That means Todd Boeckman is No. 1, followed by Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton, though they have evenly divided practice time with the first offense..." |
QB competition still tight, unchanged
April 18, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The Ohio State quarterback competition is closer than expected, but the depth chart isn't likely to change before fall camp. That's the opinion of quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels. Through 13 practices, including two scrimmages, the status quo has held..."
Henton gaining ground
April 18, 2007 Source: The Morning Journal - "The Heisman Trophy winner who could both run and throw is gone, but the redshirt freshman who can both run and throw is just warming up. It's unfair to compare Troy Smith at the end of his career to Antonio Henton at the beginning of his, but then again, it's also difficult not to compare the two as Ohio State's quarterback battle heats up..."
Injuries, defections limiting offense
April 18, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The Ohio State offense is operating under a cloud of anonymity this spring. Maybe that's a good thing, considering no one would want their name associated with the offensive mess that was the team's jersey scrimmage last weekend..."
 | Posey Snags MVP Honors
April 17, 2007 Source: Scout Combines - "Despite the constant downpour in the Queen City, close to 150 prospects braved the elements to take part in the Scout.com All-American Combine. One player seemed to stand out a little more than the rest and that was (2008 Buckeye Commit) DeVier Posey..." |
 | Hoosiers can play football, too
April 17, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Let the record show that Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. were not the first Indiana natives to make a name for themselves at Ohio State in the past year...fellow Indianapolis native Donald Washington already had enjoyed a fine freshman season as a cornerback on the football team. Washington's success, though, falls into the category of a little-known secret..." |
 | The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
April 17, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "Nickname, Another Nickname, New Face, Another Long Strider?, More Bitter Herbs, Nasty Dude, and New Turf; they're all covered in the-Ozone Note and Quotebook..." |
 | Maurice Wells Content With Role
April 17, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "OSU tailback Maurice Wells had gotten the majority of the tailback reps this spring, and by most reports has made the best of the opportunity. Check out the-Ozone feature on Wells..." |
 | Defense Looks Strong In Scrimmage Victory
April 16, 2007 Source: OhioState.Scout.com - "The enduring image of Saturday’s jersey scrimmage at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center will more than likely be a quarterback running for his life with one, two or even three defenders chasing after him like a pack of dogs after a three-legged cat..." |
| Jersey Scrimmage Report a la Gerd
April 15, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "Position by position, player by player. Tony Gerdeman has the lowdown on the Jersey scrimmage..." |
Defense steps up during indoor scrimmage
April 14, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "With the honor of wearing scarlet jerseys in practice on the line, the defense assaulted the offense and its depleted offensive line during a 110-play session inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this morning...Despite the offense being put in some particularly advantageous red-zone situations late in the session, the defense held sway 50-44, with Doug Worthington taking down scrambling junior quarterback Todd Boeckman on the final make-or-break play from the 20..."
QBs struggle, defense rules in OSU jersey scrimmage
April 15, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "Ohio State’s defense was an overwhelming force during the annual jersey scrimmage despite winning just 50-44. Buckeye quarterbacks - Todd Boeckman, Robbie Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton - struggled much of the day, combining to throw four interceptions. They completed just 16-of-45 passes for 193 yards during 110 plays..."
Defense Regains Scarlet Jerseys
April 14, 2007 Source: OhioState.Scout.com - "Upsets are common when the Ohio State offense and defense mix it up for a jersey scrimmage, but that was not the case Saturday morning at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center..."
Defense Dominates to Recover Jerseys
April 14, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "The defense dominated the offense for most of the day to record a 50-44 win in the jersey scrimmage today..."
 | Quarterback Battle Heats Up
April 15, 2007 Source: OhioState.Scout.com - "The battle to be the main man under center will likely continue until well into fall camp, and parts of the 2007 season, but Saturday marked the first unofficial unveiling of the Ohio State quarterback candidates..."Heat is on quarterbacks
April 15, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Ohio State coach Jim Tressel turned up the heat on his quarterbacks yesterday. When the Buckeyes’ bangedup offensive line melted, the quarterbacks got burned. Quarterbacks Todd Boeckman, Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton wore scarlet jerseys in a two-hour scrimmage in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. In some past scrimmages, quarterbacks wore black jerseys, signifying no contact..."
Henton opens eyes with flashy play |
(Mo) Wells no longer a forgotten man
April 14, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Who knows what the future will bring, but at the moment, Maurice Wells is what he always has wanted to be at Ohio State. He's the man. With sophomore tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells out of spring drills because of an ankle sprain, junior Maurice "Mo" Wells has been thrust to the fore as the Buckeyes work to replace NFL-bound Antonio Pittman..."
Weight of Buckeye Nation not troubling Chris Wells
April 14, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "It is time for Chris Wells to take it to the next level. He knows it. The Ohio State coaching staff expects it. Buckeye fans are hoping for it. Is Wells, one of the top guys in the nation in the recruiting class of 2006, ready to play up to the expectations of so many? Can he become an Antonio Pittman? A Pepe Pearson? An Eddie George? A Maurice Clarett without the baggage? Can he become the back that so many had counted on him to be?..."
 | Bob Hunter commentary: Rumblings
April 13, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "There has been a lot of speculation about the severity of the ankle injury to Ohio State running back Chris Wells. Coach Jim Tressel has called it a "21-day injury" and has said the team's medical staff just wants to be careful with it. But some fans claim to have seen Wells wearing a boot, and others even have speculated that the foot is broken.
A Dispatch reporter saw the running back walking normally outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility this week, without a boot or crutches or even the slightest limp.
Even without a medical degree, we feel safe in saying that whatever is wrong with the ankle, Wells is not catastrophically injured."'
Beanie' Wells smiles while ankle mends
April 14, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Coaches hold out running back from remainder of spring drills..."
OSU's Wells out with injured ankle
April 14, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Ex-Garfield star will miss rest of spring practice. If Chris ``Beanie'' Wells is disappointed he'll miss nearly all of spring practice with a sprained left ankle, he put up a brave front Friday..." |
  | Robiskie, Hartline now go-to receivers for Buckeyes
April 13, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "Ohio State wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline - the two Brians, in the coaches’ parlance - know precisely what Buckeyes fans are thinking. Such as, who are these guys? Robiskie and Hartline, the top two returnees, along with Ray Small and Albert Dukes, combined for all of 56 catches - three fewer than Ginn had by himself. 'We need to earn the respect of the people around us,' Hartline said this week after one of the Buckeyes’ spring workouts. 'That’s how the people before us did it and that’s how we should do it too.'..." |
 | Goal For Hartline: Slow Down
April 13, 2007 Source: BuckeyeSports.com - "Last season, he established himself as a fearless player on special teams who also doubled as a wide receiver in five-wide sets. This season, Brian Hartline will be required to do more of the latter and less of the former. Find out how that changes his approach..." |
 | Center not all that big on attention
April 13, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "In today’s sports world, Ohio State sophomore Jim Cordle is a welcome exception, an island of quiet in a sea of noise. Amid the din of loudmouths - screaming talk-show hosts, obnoxious commentators, voluble coaches and look-at-me athletes - the soft-spoken Cordle gives off a soothing vibe. That's all well and good, except that Cordle is in line to start at center this fall..." |
NCAA opts to turn clock back to 2005
April 12, 2007 Source: SportingNews.com - "Last season, the NCAA wanted to speed up football games. Next season, it wants more plays. Yesterday, the rules oversight panel approved two major timing changes that would revert the rules to what they were in 2005 -- stopping the clock on possession changes and not starting it on kickoffs until the receiving team touches the ball..."
Thank goodness we're going back to the old clock rules
April 12, 2007 Source: SportingNews.com - "Well, well, well. Someone from the NCAA finally did something right. Hall-flippin-eluiah..."
Buckeyes like changes for kickoffs
April 13, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "It came a year too late for Ted Ginn Jr. A college football rule change moving kickoffs back 5 yards, which should drastically cut back on touchbacks and allow more kick returns, nonetheless had a smile on the face of Ohio State receivers coach Darrell Hazell on Thursday. The return to the old clock rules announced Thursday - stopping the clock on changes of possession and not starting the clock on kickoffs until the receiving team touches it - should return the 14 plays a game lost last year. After last season's controversial changes to speed up the game, the reversal made almost everyone in college football happy..."
Kicking from 30 gives return unit a fighting chance
April 13, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "It became official yesterday: College football teams will kick off from the 30-yard line instead of the 35 this coming season, and that has Ohio State assistant coach Darrell Hazell all atwitter. Receivers coach most of the time, Hazell also is in charge of the kick-return unit. So when the new rule was proposed, he started doing his homework, noting that that NFL has been kicking from that distance for several years. What he found was touchbacks were on the wane..."
 | Thanks to our Buckeye Troops
Source: CoachTressel.com - "Coachtressel.com would like to thank all of the men and women who serve in the armed forces. Your duty to our country is nothing short of extraordinary. Many of you have sent letters wishing us well this upcoming season. This section of coachtressel.com will continue to pay tribute to those brave individuals who continue to allow us to play a game we love. The photos in this section are meant to honor each and every one of you..." |
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