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OSU defense: Laurinaitis shows there's always room to grow
Sunday, January 06, 2008
COLUMBUS — Ohio State coach Jim Tressel wondered as he watched James Laurinaitis last spring whether the linebacker's career was reaching a plateau.
Although he produced an All-American season as a sophomore, Laurinaitis had bulked up a little too much in the offseason and was looking ordinary during March drills.
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"I thought his spring was average for where I wanted him to be moving," Tressel said. "Then I thought his preseason really just took an upward trend in everything: his knowledge, his ability to get everyone else in the right place, his leadership.
"I really thought he had the preseason that catapulted him into giving us a chance to have some good leadership on a young group. I thought he improved all the way."
Displaying an uncanny scent for the ball, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound junior had another stellar season, earning consensus All-American honors and joining linebacker great Andy Katzenmoyer as OSU's only Butkus Award winners.
And while far more praise is being lavished on LSU's defense, Laurinaitis and his cohorts are first nationally against the pass (148.2 yards per game), third against the rush (77.1), first in total yardage (225.3) and first in scoring defense (10.7).
Asked to compare the two units, Tressel said: "They have the same kind of mentalities — both teams like to come after you, put the pressure on you as an offense. ... Speed and aggressiveness and toughness and open-field tackling ability, those are things that both defenses are good at."
OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock won the Frank Broyles Award this season as the nation's top assistant, and the unit feeds off his nonstop intensity. He's been known to get so worked up during practice that he's jumped into the fray and head-butted his defenders.
"Sometimes you think he might come after you," Laurinaitis said. "He's a fiery guy.
"If you're not giving your best, he's going to let you know. At the time, you might be angry at him because he's yelling at you, but when you step back and look at it, he just wants you to be the best you can be."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or
at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
| Average | Big Ten rank | National rank | |
| Total Defense | 225.3 | 1 | 1 |
| Scoring Defense | 10.7 | 1 | 1 |
| Rushing Defense | 77.1 | 1 | 3 |
| Passing Defense | 148.2 | 1 | 1 |
Top performers
LB James Laurinaitis (103 tackles, 5 sacks)
LB Marcus Freeman (95 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss)
FS Anderson Russell (58 tackles, 5 pass breakups)
SS Kurt Coleman (54 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss)
