The Ohio State Spring Game
Tressel's troops prepare for  air war
By Richard Linde, 9 May 2003

Several nights ago, I watched the Ohio State University spring game, which was re-played on CSTV, College Sports Television. With 11 starters returning on offense and 6 on defense, the Bucks, who have recruited well over the last two years, showed a great deal of depth.

Ed Cunningham, a member of the 1991 Washington Huskies' national championship team, provided some color analysis out of New York City.

By TIVO'ing the game off of DirecTV, I was easily able to rerun the highlights of a most interesting game to watch. Here are some of them.

In front of 57,200 scarlet-clad fans at the Horseshoe, the Scarlet beat the Gray, 37-29, in a game dominated by some scintillating passing, big plays—and, alas, by some turnovers.

Seemingly, taking a cue from his next head-coaching opponent, Rick Nueheisel, coach Jim Tressel orchestrated a passing show that gave his two teams little opportunity to run the ball. Going into the game, the Scarlet was a two-touchdown favorite; however, the Gray stunned the Scarlet early in the game, taking a 20-7 lead early in the second half.

Backup quarterbacks Justin Zwick (fourth on the depth chart) and Troy Smith (third on the depth chart) quarterbacked most of the game. Craig Krenzel and Scott McMullen, the one and two quarterbacks, respectively, played for a series or two, letting Zwick and Smith battle it out for the number 3 position. Although Zwick’s Scarlet team won the game, Smith, who quarterbacked the Grays, showed a great deal of athleticism and escapability, along with his strong arm. Zwick ended up completing 17 out of 29 passes for 217 yards (no picks), and Smith went 19 of 37 for 234 yards and 1 pick.

Much like last season’s Washington Huskies, Ohio State has a plethora of fine pass receivers, notably wide receivers Michael Jenkins, Chris Gamble, Santonio Holmes, Bam Childress, Roy Hall, Drew Carter, Angelo Chattams and John Hollins. Holmes and Childress are burners, and Hall and Carter will provide quarterback Krenzel with some big targets.

Quarterbacks Smith and Zwick hardly ignored their tight ends, passing to Ben Hartsock—a fitting name for a Big Ten tight end—and Ryan Hamby (6 catches, 77 yards) for a number of completions and runs after catch.

Last season, the Ohio State spring game ended in defensive struggle, 6-3, with the Scarlet prevailing. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship, using a strong defense to keep them in some close games.

This season, defense could be a problem. At linebacker, Matt Wilhelm and Cie Grant will be sorely missed. At cornerback, true freshmen Donte Whitner and Ashton Youboty saw considerable action, which makes me wonder about OSU’s overall depth in the defensive backfield.  

However, the defensive line looked particularly strong, considering that three starters missed the game. At times, it put considerable pressure on the young quarterbacks, forcing them out of the pocket on more than one occasion. In particular, Joel Penton showed good speed in getting to the quarterback on one play, starting from his defensive end position and racing across the field for a sack.

Neither quarterback was protected by a yellow jersey, so it was live action for them, something that Coach Jim Tressel said was necessary, not wanting either of them to get hit for the first time against Washington if the need should arise to play one or both of them.

In couple of years, I expect to see Smith and Washington’s talented backup quarterback Isaiah Stanback cross swords in a bowl game—perhaps, in the Rose Bowl. Hopefully, for both teams, that match up won't occur in August.

With tailback Maurice Clarett, who gained 1237 yards on the ground last season (a freshman record for OSU), sitting out the game with a shoulder injury, the running game was in absentia. In fact, for both teams combined, it accounted for just 36 total yards.  Last season, when Clarett went down with a shoulder injury, the Buckeyes’ offense tailed off, and it was his 5-yard TD run against Miami that sealed a double overtime victory for the Bucks in the Fiesta Bowl to win the national championship.

The spring game was highlighted by two back-to-back special teams plays, one a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown by Santonio Holmes, followed by a 93-yard TD kickoff return by the Scarlet’s Bam Childress, which brought the Scarlet to within three points of the Gray, 10-7. 

However, both Holmes and Childress contributed to some of the turnovers that marred the second half of the game.

To start the second half, Childress fumbled the kickoff and the Gray recovered the ball deep in Scarlet territory. Tressel, who was in the midst of commenting on the game in the television booth, groaned when that occurred. McMullen passed to Gamble, who wasn’t supposed to play in the second half, giving the Gray the lead, which was 20-7 after the PAT.

A couple of possessions later, Holmes fumbled the ball and the Scarlet recovered. Justin Zwick then connected with Roy Hill for a touchdown. Then after Holmes fumbled away the ball again, Zwick hit Ryan Zamby for a TD, giving the Scarlet the lead, 21-20.

The game ended with the Scarlet’s Ashton Youboty running a blocked PAT back for two-points. The Scarlet won 37-29.

Tressel (156-62-2 in 17 years’ coaching) has set high standards for his team. On a per game basis, he would like for his defense to hold opponents to 13 points or less and for his offense to score at least 40 points, while running the ball for 200 yards plus and passing for at least 250 yards.

The Buckeyes lose five key players on defense that kept them in some close games last season. Considering the successes of the two young quarterbacks passing the ball, pass defense could be a concern for Coach Tressel. Establishing a running game and minimizing turnovers, two short comings of the spring game, will also be key for Tressel when his Bucks face the Dawgs on August 30.

At cornerback, the two true freshmen Wintner and Youboty were able to get into school early. Getting in 15 practices before August gives them a real head start on the other incoming freshman. Last season, 11 true freshman played a big role in the Buckeyes’ season, one of them being Maurice Clarett (6-foot-0, 230), who managed to play spring ball in 2002.

The field-goal kicking looks solid with Mike Nugent, who hit 25 out of 28 kicks in 2002, finishing third in the country. During the game, Josh Huston kicked a couple of field goals, one from 34 yards out.

Cunningham appeared at ease as a commentator and gave some helpful analysis by calling on his experience as a member of a national championship team. Although he spent the following year in the NFL, he said that he'd talked to a number of members of the 1992 Huskies that played with him on the championship team. His message from them: It won't be easy as defending, national champions. Everybody will be gunning for you.

The Dawgs will be a highly motivated team when they play the Buckeyes on August 30, especially since they are coming off a disappointing loss to Purdue in the Holiday Bowl.

However, the Bucks played their spring game with an insouciance that was lacking in the Dawgs' spring game, the Dawgs stubbornly bent on establishing a running game--which, unfortunately, appeared to be mired in the rubberized portion of the Field Turf. Offensive coordinator Keith Gilberton and Coach Neuheisel seemed to be beating a dead horse--to the dismay of the 3,000 fans in attendance. Quite a contrast in games.

Still, special teams and turnovers most likely will decide the Buckeyes/Huskies' affair in August, especially so, if both running games are on the fritz.

The Buckeyes' spring game well prepared Tressel's troops for any air war the Huskies will bring to Columbus.

References:

Statistics for the game taken from “Spring Game Wrapup,” Bucknuts.com, 26 April 2003.

The Ohio State Spring game, which was telecast by College Sports Television on 5 May 2003.