Ohio State Buckeyes

Head Coach

Jim Tressel	8th year
07-08	11-2
Big Ten	7-1
FCR	51

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - When you lose in the National Championship game you face a different type of pressure that any other program, Jim Tressel will enter his 8th season and his legacy is already in place but the Buckeyes will settle for nothing less than another spot at the crown in 08’. Ohio St returns 18 starters and offensively they have Heisman candidate Chris Wells and on defense they return the nations number 1 ranked defense, now that’s a pretty nice combination.

Quarterback - Returning at quarterback is junior Todd Boeckman, he threw for 2,379 yards and TD’s but struggled late in the year and threw 14 interceptions. Boeckman will be the starter when the season begins but the Buckeyes will add incoming freshman Terrelle Pryor, and it seems certain that he’ll find his way onto the field when play begins. Pryor is the better athlete and a perfect fit when the the Buckeyes go to a spread formation and at the very least he’ll be under center 15 times a game to give opposing defense another look to deal with.

Running Backs - At running back is junior Chris Wells, his numbers are outstanding and he looks to be the next Ohio St back who’ll be hoisting a Heisman trophy. He rushed for 1,667 yards and scored 15 times despite a couple of nagging injuries, he’ll contribute more out of the backfield as the Buckeyes incorporate more of the spread offense in their attack.

Receivers - Everyone returns on the outside, led by senior Brian Robiskie and junior Brain Hartline. They combined for 107 receptions for 1,629 yards with 17 TD’s and will be joined by another returning starter at wide receiver, junior Ray Small. At tight end is senior Rory Nicol, he’s an outstanding blocker upfront and will catch the occasional dump off pass.

Offensive Line - A dominating unit that returns four starters led by senior left tackle Alex Boone and at left guard Steve Rehring. Also returning are senior Ben Person at the right guard spot and at center junior Jim Cordie, the lone new corner will be sophomore Bryant Browning who made it clear this spring that he’ll be fixture upfront and he’ll start at right tackle. They allowed only 19 sacks last season and their ability to run block is among the best in the land.

Defensive Line - The D-Line returns three starters but they also get back defensive end Lawrence Wilson, the junior was the starter a year ago when the season began but broke his leg in the season opener. On the other side will be sophomore Cameron Hayward who stepped in when Wilson went down, they do lose All-American Vernon Gholston but should get a good push upfield from these two. On the inside will be a pair of juniors in Doug Worthington and Todd Denlinger. Their outstanding against the run and finished xx nationally but the coaching staff believes the interior in particular needs to create more pressure in the backfield.

Linebackers - Returning in the middle for the Buckeyes is Butkus Award winner James Laurinaitis, the senior decided to wait another year and returned to Columbus hoping to add a National Championship to his resume. He covers the entire field, he’s got great size and speed and last season led Ohio St with 121 tackles and added 5 sacks and two interceptions and is the clear cut favorite to claim the Butkus Award once again. On the strongside 2nd team All-Big 10 linebacker senior Marcus Freeman returns and he’ll be joined on the weakside by junior Curtis Perry.

Defensive Backs - The secondary returns intact led by senior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins who had four picks last season and also decided to wait one more year before moving unto the NFL, on the other side will be junior Donald Washington. A pair of juniors will be at the safeties; with Anderson Russell at free safety and manning the strong safety position will be Kurt Coleman. Russell and Coleman combined for 127 tackles and had four interceptions.

Special Teams - Ohio St returns two seniors to handle the kicking duties; at placekicker will be Ryan Pretorius and A.J. Trapasso will once again be the punter. Pretorius was 18 of 23 and had a long of 50 and Trapasso averaged 41.5 yards and had 21 inside the 20. Brian Hartline averaged a solid 11.5 yards returning punts but the kick return unit was amongst the worst in the nation and was a point of attention this spring.

Schedule - The Buckeyes will have the nation watching when they travel to So Cal on September 13th to play the Trojans. They must travel to Wisconsin, Michigan St and Illinois but will get Penn St and Michigan in the Horseshoe and anything less than a Big 10 title will be a huge disappointment. Look for the Buckeyes to run the table and the win over Penn St will determine the Big 10 champion. They’ll be a perfect 12-0 when they play in the BCS title game for the 3rd straight season.