Football
Buckeye Football 2006 - Special Teams and Freshmen
By John PorentasThe day Jim Tressel took the job at Ohio State he started talking about special teams. Tressel's mantra on special teams since that day has been that Ohio State will emphasize that phase of the game and will be strong in that area.
Tressel, it turns out, was not engaging in coach-speak. Clearly, he believes in that proposition and has worked hard at making OSU's special teams a strength.
Punting Game
Tressel has enjoyed a succession of capable punters in his five seasons; Andy Groom, B. J. Sander, Kyle Turano and most lately, A. J. Trapasso.
Trapasso will return in 2006 as a redshirt sophomore after averaging 40.4 yards per kick on 43 punts. His longest boot of 76 yards was the longest of the season in the Big Ten in 2005.
Kicking the ball is just part of the equation in the punting game. Somebody has to snap it, and 11 guys have to cover punts, and Ohio State seems well-stocked in both of those categories.
After waiting in the wings behind the ultra-reliable Kyle Andrews, Drew Norman had a fine season as a long-snapper in 2005. Norman will be a redshirt senior in 2006 and will return with valuable experience. Norman is not only a reliable snapper, but brings good size to the position at 6-0, 230 pounds.
OSU's punt coverage was excellent in 2005 and should be as good in 2006. The Buckeyes were second in the Big Ten in net punting at 39.0 yards per attempt, just behind Wisconsin who averaged 39.3. The average punt return against the Buckeyes in 2005 was 1.4 yards per punt.
Comprising the coverage teams is a horde of young linebackers and defensive backs eager to make plays. Chad Hoobler, Kurt Lukens, Nick Patterson, Anderson Russell, Antonio Smith, Curtis Terry, Austin Spitler, Donald Washington and Sirjo Welch are all names that come quickly to mind as possible cover team standouts in 2006. The Buckeyes have used cover teams as a place to get talented freshmen on the field, and 2006 should be no exception. Look for any number of incoming freshmen to show up on coverage teams in 2006.
Two of the key performers on any punt coverage team are the gunners, the outside guys whose responsibility it is to get down field first, and Ohio State will return two players who have proven their ability. Both Sirjo Welch and Antonio Smith are proven playmakers in kick coverage, and both will return in 2006.
Kickoffs and Place Kicking
As in the punting game, Tressel has had a succession of outstanding kickers. Mike Nugent and Josh Huston have been ultra reliable and strong-legged during Tressel's tenure, but with the departure of Huston this season, OSU will be looking for a replacement in 2006
The leading candidate is Ryan Pretorius. Pretorius will be a redshirt sophomore next season and comes to Ohio State via Durban, S. Africa.
Pretorious had a career a professional Rugby player in both South Africa and in Europe. Pretorius' specialty was kicking and he decided to pursue a college football career in the US as a result of his ability. NCAA rules permit professionals in one sport to compete as amateurs in another sport, so Pretorius is eligible for football at Ohio State, but not rugby.
Pretorious will be the oldest Buckeye player on the roster in 2006. He will turn 27 this May. That maturity and his experience a professional athlete should serve him well in 2006.
Pretorious is an unproven commodity, but we think he will be an adequate replacement for Huston. He should not be as affected with the jitters that younger, less-experience players often feel. Pretorious reportedly has a strong leg and is an accurate kicker. How strong and how accurate remain to be seen, but we feel confident he will not be a limp-leg and scatter-gun.
As in the punting game, Drew Norman returns as the snapper, and A. J. Trepasso will handle the holding duties after doing so in 2005. OSU's kickoff coverage should mirror it's punt coverage as well and be very solid. The pieces seem to be in place for OSU to have a good place kicking game again in 2006.
The Return Game
Spearheaded by Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr., OSU return game has been excellent over the past two seasons. Holmes has moved on to the NFL, but Ginn will return for his junior year.
As a punt returner, Ginn returned 25 kicks in 2005 for 250 yards and one touchdown with a long of 62 yards . His average of 10 yards per return was good for fifth in the Big Ten. As a kickoff returner, Ginn led the league with a 29.0 yards per return average in 2005. His longest was a 100 yard touchdown return for his only TD kickoff return of the year.
Ginn's punt return numbers were down in 2005 after an amazing debut as a freshman in 2004. Despite that fact, Ginn will remain a lethal weapon in the return game in 2006.
The Buckeyes at times employed twin safeties on punts in 2005 with both Ginn and Holmes back. The second return man is yet to be determined if the Buckeyes wish to continue that scheme, but the leading candidate is probably Anthony Gonzalez.
The Buckeyes used a triangle formation on kickoff returns at the end of the season with three returners, Holmes, Ginn and Gonzalez. Gonzalez will likely be the second return man with Ginn, but OSU will have to find a third if they are to continue that formation.
There are a number of candidates for that position, but at this point, any guess would be just that, guess work. Likely candidates, however, might be WR Albert Dukes, CB Malcolm Jenkins, RB Maurice Wells, and DB Jamario O'Neal. Any of that group could also serve as a second punt returner as well. Also in that mix could be an incoming freshman, though we could not at this time hazard a guess on who that could be.
Coaching
Almost every OSU assistant coach has a hand in coaching the special teams, but in 2005 one really illustrated how a coach can make a difference.
Wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell handles OSU return game, and it was Hazell's idea to deploy his returners in a triangle on returns. That pretty much nullified the pooch kick against the Buckeyes. If the opposition didn't kick deep to Ted Ginn, they were going to kick it short to Santonio Holmes or Anthony Gonzalez. Talk about a pick-your-poison situation.
Tressel's obvious dedication to special teams and OSU's success over the last few years in that area are testament to the entire staff, from the head coach on down. OSU's special teams are well coached and effective.
Freshman
If you scrolled down to this section looking for a list of names, you're going to be disappointed. We don't think there is any way of knowing which freshmen could be in the lineup next fall without them arriving on campus and competing at the collegiate level. What we are willing to say is that freshmen will probably contribute to the 2006 team.
Tressel has a history of playing outstanding freshmen and 2006 should be no exception. In 2005, Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurenitis played key roles for OSU as true freshmen. In 2004, Ted Ginn Jr., Antonio Pittman, Steve Rehring and Rory Nicol all played. In 2003 Tony Gonzalez, David Patterson, Donte Whitner, Ashton Youboty and Louis Irizzary saw the field, and in 2002, Maurice Clarett, A. J. Hawk, Nick Mangold, Rob Sims and Mike D'Andrea all contributed.
Given the depth and strength on offense, it not very likely that a freshman will make much impact on that side of the ball. The possible exceptions are at running back where Chris Wells could definitely have an impact, and perhaps at wide receiver where the departure of Holmes leaves an opening for a bona fide play maker as either a wide receiver or even a returner.
Ohio State will replace nine starters on defense in 2006, and that is the most likely place where a freshman might have a chance to break into the two-deep. Defensive backs and linebackers will definitely get a look, and don't be surprised if there are some unfamiliar names in the two-deep at those positions in 2006.
As we said before, Tressel has a history of using freshmen on special teams, and we doubt that trend will stop in 2006. Any freshman who earns a spot in the two-deep at linebacker or in the defensive backfield will likely also find himself on at least one special team where he will get valuable experience in what it is like to compete on the college level in front of big, and sometimes hostile, crowds and in televised games.
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