Football
Kick Scrimmage Report and Kick Scrimmage Notes and Quotes
By John Porentas

The fall kick scrimmage yielded some unexpected results...like a new place kicker.

Ryan Pretorius

Ryan Pretorius has emerged as OSU's field goal kicker this fall after spending last season as the backup to Aaron Pettrey. Pettrey will remain as OSU's kickoff man.

Pretorius had a good kick scrimmage, hitting field goals of 35, 41, 45, 47, 26 and 25 yards and missing one from 32 yards out. He also had three kicks blocked late in the scrimmage, but it was revealed after the scrimmage that the problem on those attempts was with the blocking and not with Pretorius.

"I think Beanie got injured and someone else had to step in and obviously they're not used to it," said Pretorius.

"My times are 1.29 (seconds) and 1.31 (seconds) getting the ball off. I don't know what the other one was but Coach Tressel said it was quick and it wasn't my fault, but obviously as a kicker you take the blame Pretorius said.

Pretorius and Pettrey were locked in a duel for the place kicking job last fall and were dead even heading into the kick scrimmage. On that day in 2006, Pretorious probably his worst day of the year, and it cost him a job.

" I had one bad day, in the kick scrimmage," said Pretorius.

"Last year I had a rotten day."

Aaron Pettrey

Pettrey was given the number one spot and Pretorius spent the rest of the season wondering if he would ever get a chance to win it back again.

"I was very frustrated at the end of the season because I was very, very consistent during the season and I wasn't getting the opportunity.

"I was given a 52-yarder (in a game) which I made and that was the last field goal opportunity I was given.

"If I was bad in practice I would understand, but in practice I was very, very consistent, if not the most consistent. I just didn't understand why I couldn't get another opportunity, but Aaron was kicking really, really well in games so it was very hard to get that opportunity," Pretorius said.

Pretorius grew so frustrated that one point he seriously considered a transfer, but in the end decided to stick it out at OSU.

"You look on the Internet and see what kickers are struggling, and a place like Alabama I was interested in going there, but then I would have to sit out for year, and if you sit out for a year and a freshman comes in and does really well you might never get that opportunity. I love Ohio State, I love Coach Tressell, I love all the coaches and players here and I just didn't want to leave this family," Pretorius said.

He did just that, and has been incredibly consistent in practice situations since losing the job to Pettrey last year. Despite that, he still didn't see the field much in 2006.

"Ryan has really worked to be consistent," said OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel.

"He really throughout the fall and the bowl season was very consistent but when you're going along OK you usually don't do a whole bunch of change and somebody (Pettrey) won the job and they were doing satisfactory until you get a chance to reopen it again.

"We didn't do that for the bowl game because both were fairly consistent there." Tressel explained.

This season, however, it was a different story. Pretorius remained consistent throughout fall camp. He performed well at key moments, such as in the jersey scrimmage and in the kick scrimmage. Pettrey meanwhile, faltered at those key moments.

"I had a tough jersey scrimmage," Pettrey said.

"Basically after the jersey scrimmage on Saturday I was told by our special teams coach that I was going with the number ones," said Pretorius.

Pettrey once again faltered in the kick scrimmage, this time missing five of his 11 attempts. Pettrey made kicks of 41, 47, 26, 38, 41 and 50 yards, but missed kicks of 33, 41, 43, 32 and 42 yards, missing most of those kicks wide right. Though he made the longest field goal of the day, his inconsistency cost him just as one day of inconsistency had cost Pretorius last season.

"Probably if we had a game today Pretorious would have done the field goals and Pettrey the kickoffs," Tressel said after the scrimmage.

"I just think and our staff thinks the Ryan deserves some opportunities."

Kick Scrimmage Notes and Quotes:

* Razzle Dazzle: The kick scrimmage usually is highlighted by several fake kick attempts. A. J.Trapasso had a pass go incomplete on a fake field goal attempt on which he was the holder, but had better luck on three other plays.

A. J. Trapasso

Trapasso ran a fake punt in which he started to sweep right end then handed the ball to Brandon Saine on a reverse. Saine picked up 25 yards. That play led to a 25 yard field goal by Pettrey. Trapasso also completed a long, rainbow pass to Brian Hartline for a 43 yard pickup. On the very next play Trapasso completed another pass for a 13 yard gain to set up another field goal attempt by Pettrey. That one was wide left from 46 yards out.

Backup punter Jon Thoma also completed a pass on a fake, hitting Boom Herron for a 26 yard pickup on a play that carried to the nine-yard line. That play resulted in a 26 yard field goal by Pretorius.

* Blocked!: With score 18-12 Ryan Pretorius was given five field goal attempts late in the scrimmage. Pretorius hit the first one from 25 yards out to make the score 18-15, then missed wide right from 32 yards away, his only real miss of the day. He then had three consecutive kicks blocked, one by Kurt Coleman, one by Larry Grant and one by Dexter Larimore. That left the score 18-15. Pettrey added another field goal late in the game, this one a 50 yarder to give his Gray team a 21-15 win.

* Nice Day for Thoma: Backup punter Jon Thoma had a very steady day punting the football. Thoma didn't hit any huge bombs, but also had no shanks and consistently got off adequate punts. He appears to be more more confident, more consistent and an improved punter in 2007.

Jon Thoma

Thoma is also Pretorius' holder, and with Pretorius winning the place kicking job, Thoma will now be the first team holder, taking the job done by A. J. Trapasso last season. Trapasso holds only for Pettrey and Thoma only for Pretorius. Pretorius could not stop raving about the job Thoma does as a holder, a position Thoma has also improved at drastically.

"Jon Thoma is doing a phenomenal job," said Pretorius.

"He's my holder and he's the backup punter. If he could get a scholarship just as a holder I think the guy should because he makes me. He gives me so much confidence in terms of his holds."

"It's all repetition," said Thoma.

"My first kick scrimmage I was holding for Josh Huston's team and it was horrible. I was no good at all. As a specialist we don't do much. We punt, we hold. So with repetition comes consistency," Thoma said.

* Classy Comments: Aaron Pettrey lost a job to Ryan Pretorius this fall. Pettrey was obviously disappointed, but could not have handled the situation better.

"I'm happy he's doing well. He's a great kicker, a great guy. It's hard to be mad at him," said Pettrey.

"Coming into camp I just wanted to hang onto my spot. I knew Ryan was right there with me. I pressed a lot early trying to make everything and ended up missing kicks I should have made," Pettrey said.

"Coming into camp I was kicking great, then started over-thinking it and missed a few I should have made. He's kicked the ball great, had a great camp and just beat me. He's kicking the ball better than I am right now."

"I deserve to go down (to the second team). If' I'm not kicking the ball good and he is, the best guy is going to play," said Pettrey.

* New Strategy: Pettrey lost his place kicking job to Pretorius, but will retain the job of kickoff man. Pettrey's kickoffs were excellent last season with many of them going for touchbacks. This season, however, kickers will be kicking off from the 30 instead of the 35 as they have in recent season. Pettrey says that has led to a change of strategy at OSU despite his big leg.

"Right now we don't even want touchbacks. We want a 4.0 hang time to the goal line," said Pettrey.

"If we hit a touchback it needs to be a 4.0. We have a point system and I don't get any points unless it's a 4.0. I just want to hang it up there and keep it inside the 20."

Pettrey says he has been consistent with that hang time his fall as has Pretorius.

"Ryan and I are both hitting around 4.2 or 4.1 right now," he said.

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