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Home > Blogs > Buckeyes Beat > Archives > 2008 > July
July 2008
Jake Ballard is shrinking
This is Jake Ballard last season. Then, this is Jake Ballard today.
Same photo. Same team description.
The difference? He’s 1 inch shorter.
For some reason, the tight end from Springboro was listed at 6 feet 7 last season and is now 6-6 on the Ohio State roster. Maybe the seasons sitting below Rory Nicol on the depth chart have taken a physical toll, as well.
Regardless of his height, Ballard is a respected guy in the Buckeyes plans this season as the tight end position is described as undervalued.
So says ESPN.com:
Two experienced tight ends return — fifth-year senior Rory Nicol (6-5, 252) had 16 catches last season, and junior Jake Ballard (6-6, 256), who is emerging as a solid red zone target.
And Foxsports.com:
There’s plenty of experience returning with promising backups who got their feet wet last year, and two excellent tight ends in Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard an unappreciated twosome who should be used more in the passing game.
He’s good. Just shorter.
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Who, exactly, is the backup quarterback?
Jim Tressel doesn’t have a lot of options when looking for quarterbacks on his roster. There’s Todd Boeckman, the fifth-year senior from St. Henry and returning starter, then “freshman” Joe Bauserman,” then freshman Terrelle Pryor.
The Ohio State media guide lists Bauserman as Boeckman’s backup, but the slightly different depth chart of Tressel’s personal website doesn’t have a backup at quarterback.
On coachtressel.com, it’s Boeckman all by his lonesome.
This is no conspiracy, of course, perhaps an oversight by the webmaster. There are other differences, too. In the media guide, for instance, Chimdi Chekwa is listed as the starter at cornerback ahead of incumbent (and off-field problem-carrying) Donald Washington. On Tressel’s site, Rob Rose is listed as the third man at defensive tackle, while he’s not featured in the media guide list due to injury.
But if you have Pryor, don’t you want to keep people guessing as long as possible where he stands in your plans? If he finds his way to the backup slot, then it’s assumed he’ll play from the first game. Some think the Buckeyes shouldn’t put him on the field until the third game against USC.
In Ohio, the Ohio State depth chart is as scrutinized than any piece of state legislation. These differences are major topics, so we just have to wonder which one is correct.
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Doug Worthington another legal problem
So, let’s say you’re an Ohio State football player. And you’ve been drinking. Seems obvious you shouldn’t drive, right?
But even if you are driving, the last place you want to be is right outside Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington might have put his starting status in jeopardy after being arrested last weekend on a drunken-driving charge.
Worthington, 20, was arrested by Ohio State police at 3:13 a.m. Saturday, records show, near the intersection of Woody Hayes Drive and Cannon Drive — right in front of Ohio Stadium.
Maybe it was right out of the scene from Dazed and Confused in which the football players along with friends and girls lie on the 50-yard line at the high school stadium smoking dope and laughing. Perhaps Worthington was just on his way out from a similar get-together.
Whatever happened, it’s not good news for the Buckeyes. Worthington’s arrest comes less than a month after mostly special-teamer Eugene Clifford was charged with throwing punches at a Cincinnati night spot.
The Buckeyes were celebrated for their number of returning starters, but they might have lost one in the shadow of their own stadium.
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Ohio State could cash in again
Even with a budget that exceeds $100 million, the Ohio State athletic department still hasn’t reached all of its earning potential.
The Buckeyes could soon cash in on their ultra-valuable media rights:
Not all of the Buckeyes’ media would be included because their radio rights are held by the Columbus-based Dispatch Broadcast Group for another seven years. Also, the school’s local TV rights are locked up by the Big Ten Network. IMG College acquired Ohio State’s print rights last year.
But with the coaches’ TV shows entering the final year of a deal with JFS Properties, another locally run rights holder, Ohio State has begun to think about bundling its available rights.
“We’re looking into it,” said David Brown, Ohio State’s associate athletic director for external operations. “We’re not committed to sending out an RFP right now, but we’re researching whether or not we should. We’re just looking for the best route to drive revenue.”
What, you might ask, would be involved with such a deal?
Among the rights that would be included are corporate sponsorships, coaches TV shows, signage for football and basketball, licensed promotions, marks, hospitality and possibly some naming rights and online rights. Most of these licensing and marketing rights have been handled in-house.
This possible deal is another example of the huge earning power surrounding big-time college athletic programs. It’s the same reason so many folks are around Columbus selling novelty T-shirts and scalpers hang out on the walk to Ohio Stadium.
When you’re around Ohio State, at least right now, everything is worth a bundle.
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Tressel mum on Michigan success
The first question Jim Tressel fielded during his 15 minutes before the national media at the Big Ten kickoff event Thursday was one about his mastery of Michigan.
The Ohio State coach has won six of his first seven games in the rivalry. But Tressel insisted he doesn’t have any real secrets for his success — not that he would reveal them even if he did.
“We’ve had very good players,” he said. “I think if you look in the last six or seven years at the draft boards in the NFL, we’ve had a significant number of guys who’ve had a chance to go on to the next level. We’ve had excellent, quality leadership. The guys who choose to come to Ohio State do it so they have a chance to play in that rivalry.
“And the ball has bounced right for us, and we’re not afraid to admit that. But what’s important to us is 2008, not what happened in the past.”
Tressel got a chuckle out of recent comments from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, a Southern Cal grad who ripped OSU fans over their incessant crowing.
“He doesn’t like us, huh?” Tressel said. “It just tells you one thing: he’s proud of the place he played. He gets to live with us in Ohio, and I’m sure he hears about us.
“It’s like Woody (Hayes) used to say, ‘Whether they’re talking good about you or talking bad, just keep ‘em talking.’ “
OSU’s Chris “Beanie” Wells was named the Big Ten preseason offensive player of the year, while teammate James Laurinaitis was picked as the preseason defensive player of the year. The Buckeyes have had a player win one of those awards each of the last six years.
Maurice Clarett was chosen in 2003, A.J. Hawk in ‘04 and ‘05, Troy Smith in ‘06 and Laurinaitis in ‘07. Incidentally, they’ve dominated the postseason offensive and defensive player of the year awards, too.
Mike Doss won in 2002, Will Smith in ‘03, Hawk in ‘05, Smith in ‘06 and Laurinaitis in ‘07.
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Buckeyes parting ways with Clifford
Eugene Clifford’s abbreviated career at Ohio State apparently has come to an end.
The highly touted defensive back from Cincinnati Colerain has had numerous missteps in his one season with the Buckeyes, missing the national championship game a because of a suspension.
He was involved in a bar-room brawl July 4 and was slapped with two misdemeanor assault charges for allegedly punching a pair of employees who were trying to break up the fight.
Asked about Clifford’s status Thursday, coach Jim Tressel said, “I really can’t say anything in case he ends up somewhere else and they need to talk about it.”
When asked whether he expected Clifford to return this season, Tressel said, “Probably not.”
Another wayward Buckeye is working his way back into good graces. Starting cornerback Donald Washington, who was suspended during spring practice for undisclosed reasons, is listed on the fall depth chart as a second-stringer.
Asked what Washington needs to do to reclaim his starting spot, Tressel said coyly, “Do a great job in everything.”
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Of course Illinois would sell out the OSU game
Two seasons ago, the Illinois fans inside their Memorial Stadium were cheering wildly even though the Illini were just seconds away from losing to Ohio State. The mighty Buckeyes had trampled nearly everything to come near them and entered Champaign ranked No. 1 nationally, and Illinois was lowly Illinois, the bottom of the Big Ten, worse than Northwestern.
But the Illini made OSU play its worst game of the season as it played its best, and it finished within single digits of the team that would go on to the BCS Championship Game.
Then last season, Illinois came into Ohio Stadium and beat the Buckeyes, and it looked like (at the time) knocked them out of the national championship picture. That makes Illinois, by far, Ohio State’s most steady competitor in the Big Ten in the past two seasons.
So, of course Illinois fans want those Ohio State tickets:
It took less than an hour of single-game ticket sales Tuesday for Illinois to record its first sellout, the Nov. 15 visit from defending Big Ten champ Ohio State.
Illinois, coming off a Rose Bowl berth after the Buckeyes made it to the BCS national championship game, also made 1,500 obstructed-view seats available for the Oct. 18 Indiana game and the Nov. 1 Iowa game. The seats are behind the teams’ benches. When they are sold, those games will be sellouts. With the completion of the remodeling of Memorial Stadium, capacity is now at 62,870.
No team will upstage Michigan to the Buckeyes, of course, but Ohio State is expected to win its third straight outright Big Ten title, which has never been done in the conference’s history. Ohio State is big, fast, good and intimidating. Illinois has Juice Williams and bragging rights — and home-field advantage this season.
Illini fans know their team can win. They want to be there to see it.
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OK, Troy Smith. It’s your time.
Via Pro Football Talk, looks like it’s really happening for Troy Smith:
There’s scuttlebutt in Baltimore that, even though rookie first-round quarterback Joe Flacco ready to hit the ground running from the start of training camp, Flacco won’t be the starter to start the season.
Instead, the grapevine is pointing to 2006 Heisman winner Troy Smith, a fifth-round pick in 2007 who saw very limited action as a rookie.
If Smith does start the season as the regular QB, his performance will go a long way in settling the argument we had during his senior season with the Buckeyes: Is Troy Smith good enough, or big enough, to be an NFL quarterback?
He was good enough to play in four games and start two last season, and he showed the same mobility that made him a Michigan-killer at Ohio State. His team bio describes him with sentences like:
Talented and poised young QB with a strong arm and mobility
But is he, though, talented enough?
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Lawmakers like their OSU football tickets
A few months ago, we discussed State Rep. John Widowfield and his side business with Ohio State football tickets.
If he screws this up for other lawmakers, there’s going to be hell to pay.
Former State Rep. John Widowfield could find himself a ”despised” man if the investigation of his resale of Ohio State football tickets results in other public officials losing access to the highly coveted seats in the Ohio Stadium.
That is the blunt assessment by state Sen. Kevin Coughlin, R-Cuyahoga Falls, of his former fellow lawmaker, who is suspected of pocketing the profit from the sale of the tickets, in violation of state election law.
”If John Widowfield ruins this for policymakers, the courts will be the least of his concern,” Coughlin said.
Wow.
It’s another story that underlines the importance to many of Ohio State football tickets, which are in higher demand. The OSU Alumni Association is getting fewer tickets. Scalpers are cashing in.
But the decision-makers in this state want it guaranteed they can see the Buckeyes from inside Ohio Stadium.
Not everyone is happy about that.
Is this a case of what lawmakers are getting out of their jobs instead of what they are putting in to them? Should Ohio elected officials be able to purchase these tickets? What exactly does Ohio State want in return? Probably something. I would like to purchase tickets as a fan, but I can not. I am lucky to go to a game every other season if someone is nice enough to give me a seat to watch my favorite college football team (Note: anyone is welcome to give me Ohio State tickets). I am picking on Williams here because he is my state representative and I want to see him defeated in November, but most in the same position who have the chance also do the same thing, even when many alumni can not even get the opportunity to buy two tickets to a non-conference game. Doesn’t seem fair to me.
All I know is, if these state politicians have their tickets taken away, we’re going to see a lot more unpopular legislation on par with the smoking ban.
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Michigan has a new look
Just as Ohio State not long ago changed its football jerseys for its apparel partner (which most folks didn’t like at all), Michigan announced its new jerseys today.
The new look is big on tradition. From the press release:
The inspirational message “Those who stay will be champions” from the late Bo Schembechler is embroidered along the inside hem of the jersey. Interior shoulder panels feature silicone prints of the 42 Michigan Big Ten championship seasons, reminding players of their role in Michigan football history.
Some folks commenting on the news are hoping new jerseys bring new success:
I’m optimistic about the jerseys. Some purists are going to have a fit. People want winning, and a return to the past dominance of UM. Things must change for UM, the jersey changes will signify that change. For people who think Michigan needs to look the same all the time they should look at helmets from the 50’s. In the 70’s the helmets changed, the maize became lighter. Without change there is no growth. Michigan must change, grow, and evolve. Besides winning makes most things look good. Even unpopular jerseys will look good.
Bottom line, Michigan football fans have a lot going on this season: New stadium upgrades, new coach, new look. But the main thing the Wolverines supporters want to change is the losing streak to Ohio State.
New jerseys, of course, have nothing to do with that.
But like that last commenter said, winning makes everything look good.
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Bobby Hoying: Good (great?) OSU quarterback
Two seasons ago, as Ohio State prepared for its highly anticipated 1-against-2 matchup with Michigan, quarterback Troy Smith was discussed as potentially the best player at that position in school history.
For the occasion, we ranked the Top 10 quarterbacks in OSU history (although, at the time, Smith had another Michigan game and presumed national championship game to go). That list comes up again today because former QB Bobby Hoying will be inducted in the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame in September.
Where does he rank? Here’s the list we published in 2006:
Art Schlichter
Troy Smith
Rex Kern
Bobby Hoying
Cornelius Greene
Craig Krenzel
Mike Tomczak
Stanley Jackson
Joe Germaine
Frank Kremblas
Under Hoying’s ranking, we wrote: “Perhaps more well-rounded than Schlichter, Hoying could be a bruising runner as well as an accurate passer, but the teams for which he played didn’t fulfill the potential championship-wise. Hoying was All-Big Ten in 1995 as a senior, and the Buckeyes shared just one Big Ten title in his time. He was 1-2 against Michigan and 1-2 in bowl games, which hurts his stock.”
I think that still stands today.
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Jim Tressel is smoother than Pitt and Penn State
Jim Tressel has (rightly so) been praised for his ability to keep many of Ohio’s best players in the state wearing Ohio State uniforms. The same thing happened with Missouri coach Gary Pinkel (Akron native and Kent State grad) when I was in school. He came in, said he was going to close the borders and within a few years made Missouri (Missouri!) into one of the country’s best football teams.
But, sometimes, you just have to go after the best players.
Tressel and the Buckeyes have raided Western Pennsylvania for more and more players in the past few years, a trend documented by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Since Trinity graduate Andrew Sweat verbally committed to Ohio State in May 2007, four other WPIAL recruits - former Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette running back Jordan Hall, Gateway linebacker Dorian Bell and Gateway receiver Corey Brown - followed his lead.
“I think (Ohio State has) come in and mined the field a little bit, and they keep coming back,” Trinity coach Ed Dalton said. “These were kids that would have been at Penn State 10 years ago. Everyone has a great recruiter on staff, but when the head coach is a great recruiter, that is an additional thing.”
This is a good point. Often, when a player talks about his recruitment to a school, he’ll mention an assistant coach with whom he’s grown close. That’s to be expected, since the assistant coaches make contact most often.
Pryor’s situation underscores Penn State’s slipping handle on the area. When talking about Penn State, he mentioned only assistant coaches. People were shocked, in fact, when Joe Paterno visited Jeannette High School himself.
With Tressel, though, the personal visits are generally hits. We saw that in January when Tressel made a trip to Beavercreek to see recently committed Zach Domicone and caused a stir at the high school. He was friendly and courteous to each person. He waved goodbye to small children. He graciously signed autographs. He understands the power of his visits.
That power apparently includes persuading recruits to play football for Ohio State. Even those outside of Ohio.
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Ohio State is no backup school
Matt O’Donnell’s desk is next to mine, and it’s difficult not to overhear some conversations. Yesterday, he was on the phone with Sam Longo, the Bellbrook High School offensive lineman.
You could tell by the conversation’s course that Longo was discussing a college choice, but the phone call wasn’t made because we knew about any particular decision. Once that offer from Ohio State comes, though, you have to make a move.
That’s why Longo announced yesterday that he has committed to play football for the Buckeyes.
Here’s the key quote.
“It’s a big deal for me,” Longo said. “I cut it down to two schools (Ohio State and Penn State) and kept going back and forth.
“I just thought if the offer closed up, could I live with it? I stopped worrying and jumped on it.”
That has become the point with Ohio State football. It’s not a safe offer, waiting until something else might fall through before it is accepted. The recruits who get the scholarship offer from the Buckeyes know it might not last, as quickly as players are jumping into the OSU Class of 2009.
And the Buckeyes, as everyone knows, aren’t filling the class with questionable players. Longo, for instance, is ranked the top athletic offensive line recruit in the country.
The stock has rarely been higher on an Ohio State scholarship offer.
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DB Eugene Clifford faces assault charge
This isn’t going to help Eugene Clifford with Ohio State coaches at all:
Eugene Clifford, a backup cornerback for Ohio State and former Colerain High School football standout, faces misdemeanor assault charges after allegedly punching two men.
According to police, Clifford hit two employees who were trying to break up a fight early Friday at a Corryville tavern.
Clifford played sparingly last season for the Buckeyes after coming to the school as the No. 3-ranked recruit in Ohio his senior season.
It hasn’t been a comfortable relationship. Even after Clifford was cited for marijuana possession as a senior at Colerain, he couldn’t stay out of trouble with the Buckeyes. For some fans, the first time they really heard of Clifford was when OSU suspended him for the national championship game.
Jim Tressel is a coach to whom you must prove your trustworthiness (most times, especially because of Maurice Clarett) before you get plenty of time on the field. Clifford was already on thin ice, and this is something that could cost him his scholarship.
Or, perhaps Tressel believes he can improve as a person, will keep him on the roster and suspend him for a longer period of time.
Either way, he should’ve been smarter than this.
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TWC vs. BTN: Which side are you on?
So, we got the news this week that two early-season Ohio State games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Because Time Warner Cable and the BTN don’t yet have a deal, TWC customers have no chance of seeing these games.
We said from the beginning that the Big Ten was taking a big chance with creating this network because it could turn some of its own fans against it. When it comes to upset people, they like to blame one side (or sometimes both).
From conversations I’ve had, I get the sense that half the people blame Time Warner and the other half shakes their fists at the network.
I’m asking to hear from as many folks as possible. Which side do you take?
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Ohio State writer makes his picks
The college football season gets its unofficial launch, at least in this part of the country, at the Big Ten kickoff luncheon in Chicago on July 24-25.
The media meet with all of the league coaches and a few players from each school for two days of interviews, and Ohio State then will report for preseason camp Aug. 3.
It’s hard believe it’s just weeks away. But if you’re a college football buff like me, it can’t get here fast enough.
The Big Ten asked all reporters to predict the top three finishers in the conference and pick an offensive and defensive player of the year, which will be unveiled at the kickoff event.
For the first time in my nine years of attending, I didn’t put Michigan in my top three. The Wolverines seem to have lost too many horses, and the quarterbacks they have in the program seem ill-suited for coach Rich Rodriguez’s system.
The Wolverines haven’t had a losing season since 1967 and haven’t missed playing in a bowl since 1974, but those streaks could come to an end this year.
OK, Buckeye fans, simmer down. The Wolverines are eventually going to reload and become a national power again. C’mon, it’s Michigan.
For what it’s worth, I picked the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten, followed by Wisconsin and Illinois.
OSU running back Chris Wells was my offensive player of the year, and linebacker James Laurinaitis was my defensive pick.
Given all the attention the Buckeyes and that duo are getting in the offseason, I’ll be shocked if my fellow scribes don’t see it the same way.
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Tippy Dye has his say
Two years ago, as Ohio State headed into its monumental 1-against-2 matchup with Michigan, some Buckeyes fans learned the name Tippy Dye for the first time.
Heading into the game, one of the major storylines was the possibility that quarterback Troy Smith could collect his third straight win against the Wolverines. Only one other OSU quarterback had done that.
Before the game of the year, No. 1 Ohio State versus No. 2 Michigan on Nov. 18 at Columbus, Ohio, somebody recalled that only one Buckeyes quarterback had ever beaten archrival Michigan three consecutive times.
His name was Tippy Dye and the years were 1934, ‘35 and ‘36. He was 5 feet 7, 135 pounds, wore No. 50 and played offense and defense as the Buckeyes shut out the Wolverines all three years. Dye’s three straight were viewed as an especially significant feat last fall because Ohio State’s quarterback, eventual Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, was about to match that accomplishment. Smith did exactly that in the Buckeyes’ 42-39 victory that day, a victory that set up Monday’s national title game against Florida.
Dye did many things after he left Ohio State, a line of success that included a stop as the University of Washington’s basketball coach. Dye visited Seattle recently. Now 93, he was asked by a Seattle reporter about his history with the school, his experiences as a coach and administrator and his thoughts about the state of college sports.
We learned that, if he were leaving college today, we would never have known Tippy Dye the coach:
“We had great teams, great people,” he said. “They were all good folks, not like they have today. “I couldn’t coach today. I wouldn’t want to.”
The rest of Dye’s story is interesting and worth your time. But it’s this last part that is the most disturbing. We hear former coaches many times say that it would be much more difficult to do that work in today’s environment.
But to hear a man with the accomplishments of Dye say that he wouldn’t want to even coach at all is troubling. I suppose, though, that every generation feels the same about the next one. Perhaps those who coached Dye and his comrades thought they were too difficult to deal with.
Hearing such things does make one thankful that some powerful coaches are seemingly doing what Jim Tressel stresses — creating good citizens, graduating players, and the like.
If nothing else, be impressed with Dye because he beat Michigan three straight times. That has rarely happened in this series.
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George Bush likes Ohio Stadium
The Ohio State fencing team won its third national championship this season, already a great accomplishment. Then team members got to visit the White House on the NCAA Day of Champions, to be recognized by President Bush:
Some of the champs here are building on long legacies of excellence. Ohio State Men’s and Women’s Fencing finished in the top five for the seventh consecutive year and earned the third fencing championship in school history. And we welcome you here. (Applause.)
By tradition, each team brought a present for the president. I’m not sure what other teams gave, but the Buckeyes handed him a photo of the football stadium.
The Buckeyes presented the President with a large framed photograph of Ohio Stadium, with the OSU marching band spelling out “George W. Bush” on the field.
Even though the national championship win in March was an exciting one, this gesture shows as much as anything that the major athletic symbol at Ohio State is Ohio Stadium. At the same time, few schools could do something as impressive with their marching band and also have it considered a symbol for the school.
Unless, of course, Mr. Bush remembers that semi-embarrassing loss Texas suffered against the Buckeyes two seasons ago.
