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20/20 HINDSIGHT:

Now that the season has been over for about a month and the nerves have calmed and the butt has unpuckered, it's time to take a "reflective" look at the 2008 Ohio State football team. Most teams, even teams in the SEC, would love to beat their rival, win their conference and play in a BCS Bowl and end their season at 10-3. But we in the land of the buckeye are a spoiled lot.

I know I should feel good about last year but I just don't. I mean, we had 28 seniors, five of which could have been drafted but chose to return for their final season. We had the best linebacker and the best cornerback and the best running back in the country. We were returning the first team All Big Ten quarterback and recruited another quarterback that was the number one recruit in the country. Our defensive line returned intact and our offensive line returned a ton of experience and was thought to be the best line in decades. Both receivers and our tight end returned. Both safeties returned. Hell, even our punter and kickers returned. All of our coaches returned. All of this wealth of talent and experience returned from a team that played in the national championship game!

"...there were three reasons the season didn't live up to expectations: 1. The offense line. 2. Beanie's toe. 3. Tresselball."

So what went wrong? Beanie's toe and the offensive line. Not that Tressel has ever had an offense that would be mistaken for Texas Tech, but this one should have been his best ever. The defense, as always, got the job done with the exception of the USC game where they were on the field for 90% of the game because of the pathetic offense. And they held Texas to 24 points (20 points below their average).

Beanie's toe couldn't be helped and the offensive line couldn't help themselves. Granted, there were injuries. Rehring was hurt in the USC game and Cordel had to move from center to guard so that Brewster could take that center spot. Person missed some later games and Mitchum, a back up, missed most of the season. You couldn't mistake Alex Boone's stomach for a six pack although it held a few hundred six packs.

Again, there were three reasons the season didn't live up to expectations: 1. The offense line. 2. Beanie's toe. 3. Tresselball. The fact that the offensive line played so horrible in the USC game led to Boeckman sitting and Pryor starting before he was ready. Beanie's broken toe led to the breaking of the team's spirit and its will going into the USC game.

As if Tressel's offense isn't too conservative to begin with, he had to change it mid-season to adjust to a new quarterback with totally different talents. He had to go to a primarily run focused offense and a quarterback that could escape the defensive ends that were pouring around the edges like high tide on a low beach.

Tressel's offense can best be demonstrated by one play in the Texas game. It's late in the second half and we desperately need a score. It's first or second down and 10 yards to go and into the game comes Mo Wells. I'm thinking, "Finally, after four years of setting this play up they are going to do something special with Mo because, as everyone in the world knows, he can't run between the tack......" BAM, right between the tackles for NOTHING. That play hadn't worked in four years. At least 400 times in his career Mo Wells was sent up the middle for one yard or less. And yet, Tressel never gave up on it. Not even with the worst line he's had in eight years. It kind of reminded me of those Lydell Ross years that had me throwing things at my TV every time Tressel ran Lydell up the middle. Aaaahhhhh.

Recruiting:

There's really not a lot I can add to the massive amount of information about recruiting that has filled cyber space this week. Last year, although it wasn't a big class (20), it was the best class in the Tressel era. This year was even better. Scout.com has the Buckeyes as the number one recruiting class in the country. Rivals.com has them third.

"As the best players we've had over the last several years were Laurinatis, Jenkins and AJ Hawk and they were all three star recruits, and the top five star recruit we had was Alex Boone, well, I guess that tells you what these recruiting gurus actually know about the potential of a 17 year old kid."

Of course, ESPN has them at ninth because nothing in the Big Ten could compare to anything in the SEC. It's like comparing a mountain to a pimple on a flea's ass. Remember, The Big Ten Network is taking business away from ESPN. As the best players we've had over the last several years were Laurinatis, Jenkins and AJ Hawk and they were all three star recruits, and the top five star recruit we had was Alex Boone, well, I guess that tells you what these recruiting gurus actually know about the potential of a 17 year old kid.

Here's the question, did we fill our needs? Well, we had a lot of needs. We lost 28 seniors and 3 juniors. That's 31 guys leaving the program. 14 of those were starters, 4 were primary back ups and 4 were guys that saw the field but mostly as special teams players. 3 were injured and out for their entire senior season and the remaining 6 were walk-ons that made up a good portion of the scout team. That's a LOT!

At quarterback we lost Boeckman but have Pryor and Bauserman back. What we needed was a third string guy to red shirt and run the scout team. Kenny Guiton (6-3 190), from Texas, fills the bill. He said "I'm coming in to take third string reps." He understands his rung on the ladder and is just tickled to death to be a Buckeye.

At tailback we lost Beanie and Mo Wells but have Herron and Saine returning. We needed a couple of really good backs. We got two of the best in the state of Florida in Jaamal Berry (5-11 195) and Carlos Hyde (6-1 235). And out of Pennsylvania is Jordan Hall who was Terrelle Pryor's go-to guy at Jennette High School.

At fullback we lost Smith and Lukins. We red-shirted Martin who should start this year. To add depth we brought in Adam Homan (6-2 230). This guy is an absolute load and a kid that lives to play football.

We lost both starters at receiver, Robiskie and Hartline, but have Small and Sanzenbaucher and Posey and "Flash" Thomas all returning, not to mention Washington and Schwartz. Jake Stoneburner (6-5 240) took a medical red shirt but will see a ton of playing time this year. We just needed some depth and brought in the best receiver in Ohio, Chris Fields (6-1 180), the best receiver in Michigan, James Jackson (5-11 170) and one of the best receivers in Florida, Duron Carter (6-3 180)( son of Cris Carter).

We lost our starting tight end, Roy Nicol, but return Jake Ballard who was just as good and played just as often. We red-shirted Nick DiLillo. We needed two and got one, Ried Fragel (6-8 260). He'll play.

On the offensive line we lost three starters and one backup. We had that great group last year of Brewster, Adams and Shugarts and needed four guys this year to replace the four players we lost. Welcome aboard Marcus Hall (6-5 295), Jack Mewhort (6-7 285), Corey Linsley (6-4 285) and Sam Longo (6-5 275). Hall and Mewhort were the top two in Ohio and two of the best in the country.

At defensive end we lost Curtis Terry who was a back up that missed most of 2008 due to injuries. We have both starters and both back-ups returning. We also have two freshmen that saw the field on special teams and a freshman that took a medical red shirt (Willie Mobley, 6-3 285). We will have two seniors this year and needed two guys to replace them down the road. We landed Melvin Fellows (6-5 255) who is considered to be the "star" of the class and Jonathan Newsome (6-3 240).

At defensive tackle we lost Nader Abdallah. He languished for four and a half years and then broke into the starting line up at the end of the year when Denlinger was hurt. We have both starters and both back ups returning. We red-shirted Garrett Goebel (6-5 280) who was one of the top rated kids last year. We needed to replace one guy and landed two, John Simon (6-3 280) and Adam Bellamy ((6-4 275). Simon was a three star until he played in the Army All Star Game. After the gurus saw him play on the field he was moved up to five stars by Scout.com. He may come to Ohio State out of high school as the strongest guy on the team, he has already bench pressed 445 pounds.

I'm almost embarrassed to talk about linebackers. We lost Laurinatis and Freeman but we have more in our pipeline than Exxon Mobil. Returning are starter Ross Homan and primary back ups Spitler, Rolle and Moeller. Then we had two freshman, Sabino and Sweat, that were rated #1 and #2 in the country by ESPN. We needed to restock with a couple of guys and brought in four. Dorian Bell (6-2 220) was the top recruit in the state of Pennsylvania and one of the top linebackers in the country. Jordan Whiting (6-1 230) was the top player in the state of Kentucky (he and Bell were Parade All Americans). Storm Kline (6-3 220) was the Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year. He was used primarily as a running back last year and ended his four year career with 6,400 yards and 100 touchdowns. He will start out as a linebacker. Also in the fold is Zach Boren (6-1 245). He could play inside linebacker, rush defensive end or fullback.

At cornerback we lost Jenkins and Washington (Washington started as a sopmomore but was moved to back up as a junior due to Tressel doghouse issues). We also lost Shaun Lane who was a back up and our top special teams player. Starter Chickwa and backups Amos, Torrence and Evege return. Travis Howard took a medical red shirt and could very well work his way into a starting position this year. We needed to bring in at least three guys and did so. Corey Brown (6-1 180) is a top recruit and could play wide receiver as well. CJ Barnett (6-1 180) was the top corner in Ohio and Dominic Clark (5-11 180) is a "pure speed" player out of Maryland.

We return both starters and both of their back ups at safety. We lost the two third string guys that were also major special teams contributors. We needed to get two replacements for them in the system. We brought in Jamie Wood (6-2 185), the top safety in Ohio. Corey Brown, mentioned above at corner can also play safety if needed.

"All in all, we done good, we done real good. This is the best back-to-back classes in the Tressel years and will put Ohio State right dead in the heart of college football superiority through the year 2012."

Place Kicker. We lost Pretorius who started the last two years but we have Pettrey returning who started as a sophomore but lost the job to Pretorius when he was injured. I've always thought Pettrey was the better of the two so I don't see us losing much here. Pettrey was 5 of 6 on long field goals this year and most were over 50 yards. His lone miss was on a bad snap during the Fiesta Bowl. We brought in Ben Buchanan last year to eventually replace Pettrey and he took a red shirt.

Punter. We lost AJ Trapasso. He was a four year starter. His back up, Thoma, returns. He will battle for that position with Ben Buchanan and probably several walk-on's.

All in all, we done good, we done real good. This is the best back-to-back classes in the Tressel years and will put Ohio State right dead in the heart of college football superiority through the year 2012.
 
BOONE, NOOPY AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:

Apparently, Alex Boone is not a happy drunk. Alex went out to California to play in the Shrine Bowl (he thought they said the Stein Bowl) and his fez was slightly atilt when he consumed three times the legal limit of alcohol. However, this time he didn't drive a car. Instead, he stood on the car. He then swore like a drunken sailor and challenged the entire Los Angeles Police Department to a fist fight. At 6-8 330, it took not one, not two, but three Tasers to bring the big boy into compliance. Actually, when three wouldn't do it they called Captain Kirk to the scene and he phasered him. Fortunately, it was on "stun."

Anthony "Noopy" Crater quit the basketball team ten games into his career because he wasn't getting enough playing time for a person of his obvious talents. He let several schools know he was available and they all said, "No thanks." He finally ended up at that basketball power, South Florida University, where he immediately was caught with what used to be called a nickel bag. Whoa, Noopy does Doobies? Thank God he wasn't doing that while he was at Ohio State. He was a clean cut, church attending, straight A student that helped underprivileged kids and attended the opera in his spare time while at Ohio State. See what that evil SEC country will do to you? Anyway, as Alex says, "Here's a cold one to you Noop."

Speaking of the SEC, they're at it again. The Big Ten has a rule that you can take up to three recruits over the amount of openings you have BUT you must clear it with the Big Ten home office and explain how you expect to get to the correct number by August. There is no such rule in the SEC. You can sign all you want as long as you get to the correct number by August. So last year Alabama signed 35 kids and had about 17 openings. So what did they do with the extra 18? Well, I would guess five or six never qualified. Several more may not have made it through admissions for other reasons and a few kids were probably going to quit the team anyway. But there still had to be more kids than openings. That's where the coaches put pressure on the under performers to get them to quit or simply pull their scholarships, which are one year contracts. Definitely not walking on moral high ground here but it IS the SEC. So this year Alabama signed another 27 and was joined at that number by Auburn and Mississippi State. Kentucky signed 28, South Carolina 29 and Arkansas signed 32. But they didn't top the SEC list. Oh no. At the top of the list is Mississippi with 37.

We had one recruit de-commit. Justin Green, from Kentucky, told anybody that cared for months and months that he was "solid" with Ohio State. Then, on the eve of signing day, the heavens parted and the angels sang and he saw the light and committed to Illinois. This was somewhat of a shock because of his constant insistence that he was a Buckeye plus the fact that his brother was a two year starter at Ohio State. Some people in the chat rooms just hammered this kid. Me? I say if he doesn't really truly want to be a Buckeye then good riddance. At least he didn't go to meeeshitagin. It does kind of make you wonder what the Zookster had to offer though, doesn't it?

BASKETBALL:

After two stunning upsets of ranked teams this week the men's team now stands at 17-5 overall, 6-4 in the conference. Never, ever, ever underestimate Thad Matta. He is starting a first year player from the JUCO ranks, three sophomores and a freshman. The best player on the team, David Lighty, has been on the bench for ten weeks. Evan Turner has become one of the best players in the conference and the Buckeyes are looking pretty good for only having seven guys in the rotation. If they don't wear out down the stretch they should get their twenty wins and dance with the big boys in March.

The women's team is 19-3 overall and 10-1 in the conference. They are already in the big dance and actually have a chance to make a run this year.
 
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:

Twenty six years ago I started a contest with 10 or 15 guys at work that followed college football. We would predict, in August, what the top 20 (now 25) would be at the end of the season. The winner (closest through a complicated grading system) received a plaque with his name on it to be placed prominently in his office for one year. It was The NCAA Wizard Award. The loser also got to display an award for one year, The Hand Painted Pee Pot. There were awards for coming in second and also for second from the bottom as well as most improved and least improved. After the bowl games we would have a banquet lunch at a local dive and present the awards with many hoots and howls and barbs and zings. It was a great way to get through a cold winter day in January with a few laughs.

Each player had a nickname for the contest such as: Buckets, The "A" Team, Knuckles, Not Quite, Mad Dog, Ragin' Cajun, The Hulk, Call em as I see em, Hillbilly, The Kid, Big Diehl, Surf City, The Spike and Slam Dunk. I was The Coach. The only Michigan fan in the group was Bob "Bo" Wagner. Bob was given that name because of his admiration of Bo Schembeckler. Later, when Bo Shembeckler retired, Bob asked to have his name changed to NoMoBo. Throughout the years Bob contributed to the Newsletters with jokes and digs and even a couple of poems about "The Smuckeyes."

Bob passed away two weeks ago. He had a lot of friends and family that traveled to Dover, Ohio from all corners of the country to say goodbye.

I have some great memories of Bob. There was the fishing trip in Tennessee when six of us piled into Bob's van and sang along with his 60's tapes all the way to Dale Hollow Lake, and spent a long weekend on a pontoon boat. I'm not sure if a single fishing pole was lifted the entire weekend but I know a great deal of alcohol was consumed and some great euchre games took place.

Then there was the time Bob and I went to a bar to watch the Ohio State/Michigan game together. Michigan won and he made my life miserable for the next three hours as we drove around town stopping at all of his friend's houses so he could get out of the car and scream "Go Blue" at the top of his lungs. Between stops I had to endure his singing of "Hail to the Victor."

Bob and I had a standing bet on the Ohio State/Michigan game every year. After the John Cooper years, Bob was financially able to take early retirement.

Bob fought a twenty-five year battle with MS but he never lost his sense of humor, his love of family or his love of Michigan. He was buried in a blue shirt with a maize "M" above the pocket. He will be missed by all. Hey Bob, Go Blue!

The Coach

Tags: alex boone, chris wells, evan turner, jim tressel, michigan, ohio state basketball, ohio state football, recruiting, thad matta