November 6, 2004

Ginnuflect

It's not like Ted Ginn Jr. has come out of nowhere or anything. He's had "blue-chip" written all over him since he was a sophomore at Glenville High School. But I guess you could say he arrived today, as he pretty much beat the Michigan St. Spartans all by himself , with all due respect to the Buckeye defense. The freshman scored twice early on a 17 yard reverse and a 60 yard punt return, and then scored the winning touchdown on a 58 yard reception in the game's last two minutes. And he did it in spectacular, jaw-dropping fashion. I have not seen that combination of speed and athletic grace on a football field in years. To get some perspective, freshman Ginn today tied the OSU career record for punt returns for touchdowns. The kid is a rare talent. I can't wait to see him play cornerback.

And here's what Coach Tressel had to say about linebacker A.J. Hawk after Hawk iced the game with a diving interception:

"Incredible pick," Tressel said. "From where I was standing, it looked like it landed on the bench. If he's not an All-American, I don't know what an All-American would look like. He's a leader, he's quiet, he's humble. He's everything you want in a football player."

Hawk may have won the Butkus Award today with that interception and a couple of other highlight reel hits on national tube. Wishful thinking maybe, but I haven't seen anyone playing linebacker any better this year.

Posted by dan at November 6, 2004 7:12 PM