April 25, 2006
Spring Game 2006
The guys sitting next to us couldn't quite believe that my friend and I would drive two hours to see an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday in Columbus. But a Spring Game record 63,649 showed up to see the Buckeyes play each other, so how crazy are we? I took this shot to show how full even C-deck was on the North end. OK, we're crazy, but we had a lot of company.
The game featured the OSU debut of heralded freshman-to-be Chris Wells (#28 pictured above) and the 17-year old running back did not disappoint the sun-drenched crowd. While his Garfield High School senior classmates back in Akron are getting ready for the Prom, Wells was butting heads with Division I college football players for the first time in public, and he gave Buckeye fans a taste of what's to come.
Wells had 48 yards in 11 carries, and a pass reception for a 9-yard first down. He's the real deal, Buckeye fans. He's 17 and he's got a body like a young Bo Jackson, (6' 2" 230 lbs). He broke the tackle of the first guy to hit him on almost every rushing attempt. and showed good speed to the outside. He delivered a blow to the defender and consistently fell forward for a couple of extra yards. Maurice Clarett without the baggage. Actually, I am convinced he is a better open field runner now than Clarett ever was. He has better lateral movement and open field instincts than MoC. There's no chance he redshirts now, even if he's starting the season as the third string RB. Eric Haw looked very strong too, so it looks like the team is as deep at the running back position as they have been in over a decade.
Not to be outdone, the other two true freshman who enrolled early for Spring practice stood out too. Linebacker Ross Homan was drawing comparisons to a guy named Hawk after recording 10 tackles and a sack for the Scarlet, and cornerback Kurt Coleman showed very well in coverage and in run support, and he had an acrobatic interception at the goal line in the 4th quarter that squelched a Gray drive.
The wide receiver corps is another embarrassment of riches for the Bucks. The starters, Ted Ginn Jr., Tony Gonzalez and Roy Hall are as good as any group in the country going into 2006, and my Spring Game MVP, freshman Brian Hartline (seven catches, 88 yards) teams up with sophomores Albert Dukes, Devon Lyons and Brian Robiskie to allow the Bucks to go seven deep at WR without missing a beat. And that's before speedster Ray Small shows up in August.
Troy Smith barely broke a sweat leading the Scarlet to the game's only touchdown in one quick series before he took off the pads for the day. The competition to see who plays QB in 2007 was the most talked about matchup of the day. I thought sophomore Todd Boeckman looked better on this day than did his rival, redshirt freshman Robb Schoenhoft. Boeckman has two years in the program, and the extra year of experience showed. He was more poised and in control than Schoenhoft, and threw a better ball, even though he had two picks to Robbie's one. Both guys are big kids with very strong arms, and they both made enough good throws and showed enough mobility to give fans encouragement for the future at the QB spot.
The key to the 2006 season, as it was in 2005, is the early September matchup with Texas. If the young Buckeye defense can mature faster than the young Texas offense, and we can steal a win in Austin, there might be no slowing down this team. Some say they are replacing nine defensive starters, but that's not entirely true. DE Lawrence Wilson and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins were starting at season's end, and they return along with DT's Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson. One impressive aspect of Saturday's game was the look of the team's pass rushing contingent. This is of course tempered by the fact that the starting offensive line had two starters sitting out altogether and the other three split between the two teams, so there was little cohesiveness in the OL play, but Vernon Gholston is back healthy and looked great rushing the passer, and Jay Richardson played like we have been waiting for him to play for three years. Wilson looked unblockable. Lots of depth there at DE, and also at DT where underclassmen Todd Denlinger and Nader Abdallah played impressively.
Projected linebacker starters Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis played solid if not spectacular games, and Chad Hoobler, who is my personal choice to play the middle ("Mike") position, was impressive, especially in defending the pass. Homan may just play himself right onto the field as a freshman, possibly at Hawk's "Will" linebacker spot, and JUCO transfer Larry Grant has the speed and athleticism to help coming off the edge, although he looked a bit lost in his first ever game action at the D-1 level.
Tressel proved last year that he'll start a freshman (Jenkins) at cornerback if he's the best player, and Coleman might eventually play a significant role this season. He looks that good. But so does redshirt freshman Andre Amos, who is bigger and stronger against the run than Coleman, and can also cover. Jenkins and Amos should start at corner, and Jamario O'Neal at one safety. The other safety is still up for grabs, but there are plenty of talented athletes competing for the job. The most experienced is Brandon Mitchell, who would probably start if they had to play a game today. But youngsters Anderson Russell and Donald Washington looked good Saturday and will push Mitchell out if he's not consistent.
The kicking was borderline spectacular in this game. Punter A.J. Trapasso dazzled, and both competing placekickers, Ryan Pretorius and Aaron Pettrey have big legs. One thing Tressel can do is develop kickers. The NFL keeps snatching up his punters and placekickers every year it seems.
Some of the early polls have the Bucks as preseason picks at #1 or #2. We know the offense will roll as long as Troy Smith is healthy. The defense is green, but hugely talented and well-coached. I think the D-line is good enough to cover for the back seven while they get their sea legs early in the season. The schedule is favorable after the trip to Austin and a tough game at Iowa (Penn State and Michigan in the Horseshoe). All is well in Columbus.
Posted by dan at April 25, 2006 6:16 PM