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Football
Final Walk-through: Marshall
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS — Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes are used to doing their final walk-through’s on Friday, but they had to settle for a Wednesday with the 2010 season-opener coming via a rare Thursday night game.

Second-ranked Ohio State will kick off Tressel’s 10th season in Columbus and 25 year as a head football coach against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Coming off a 7-6 season and a 21-17 win over Ohio University in the Little Caesars Bowl, the Herd have been a tough opponent for Tressel and his Buckeyes to prepare for because they are in their first season under new Head Coach Doc Holliday.

“I've known Doc Holliday for a long time, he's been in the business and been at some very good programs for many, many years, and we don't know exactly what they're going to do,” Tressel said.

“We have been able to study a little bit of personnel. We don't really have a great handle on what they're going to do offensively, defensively or in the special teams.”

The Buckeyes last played Marshall in 2004, when they needed a 55-yard field goal from Mike Nugent as time expired to beat the Thunder Herd 24-21 in Columbus. Tressel believes this Marshall is even more talented.

“I've faced them a number of times, both at Youngstown State and here at Ohio State,” he said.

“But I know this from a personnel standpoint, they are much better than they were in 2004.”

With kickoff just around the corner, we take one last look at Ohio State’s personnel in our “Final Walk-through” for the opener against Marshall.

 

Quarterback

What to Expect: Expect to see a fired-up Terrelle Pryor, who is brimming with confidence after his performance in the Rose Bowl. Tressel talked about wanting Pryor to throw the ball more in 2010 after he chucked it 37 times against Oregon, but those who know Tressel know that he will only throw it as much as he has to. Look for Pryor to come out gunning early, but expect the running game to take over if the Buckeyes are able to establish a comfortable lead. That never happened last year against Navy in the opener, so it’s possible Pryor could throw the ball 30 times against Marshall, but probably unlikely unless Tressel is trying to get him in a rhythm for the big game against Miami in week two.

Injury Report: No injuries to report.

Running Back

What to Expect: After rushing for over five yards per carry last season, senior Brandon Saine has established himself as Ohio State’s starting running back. Expect Saine to start the game and work the entire first series with the offense, but don’t be surprised to see junior Boom Herron on the second or third series. Doc Tressel likes to rotate these two to keep them fresh until one establishes a rhythm. They will see the bulk of the carries in the first half, but look for Jordan Hall to get some touches and expect them to try to get the ball into the hands of the speedy Jaamal Berry. The redshirt freshman out of Miami has some of the best burst on the team, and now that he’s healthy he should have a role in the offense this fall.

Injury Report: Freshman Carlos Hyde was battling a leg injury during camp but should be ready to play against Marshall.

Wide Receiver & Tight End

What to Expect: The Buckeyes seem to have settled on Taurian Washington as their No. 3 receiver behind starters DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher, but let’s not forget that Washington was in this exact position a year ago. The senior out of Michigan dropped two passes in the opener against Navy last season and never saw the field again until Pasadena. With Ray Small, Duron Carter and Lamaar Thomas all moving on, Washington assumes that role again this year. He could provide the Buckeyes with a big-play threat down the field if he can put it all together.

Posey is posed for a breakout year and Sanzenbacher is Mr. Reliable, but the Buckeyes would like to see either Chris Fields or Corey “Philly” Brown step up and make plays. Brown is a flashy freshman out of Philadelphia who has really caught the eye of his coaches this fall enough that he could be the next guy in line if Washington falters.

Injury Report: Senior Grant Schwartz suffered a foot injury during camp but is back healthy. Receivers coach Darrell Hazell said that Schwartz is the No. 6 receiver on the depth chart behind Posey, Sanzenbacher, Washington, Brown and Fields.

Offensive Line

What to Expect: With senior Andrew Miller battling a left elbow injury, junior Mike Adams will make the start at left tackle against Marshall. Adams started four games at the position in the middle of last season but gave way to Jim Cordle after the Purdue game. Cordle is gone, but the Buckeyes return the other four starters on the offensive line, including seniors Justin Boren and Bryant Browning at the two guard spots. Michael Brewster enters his third season as the starting center and classmate J.B. Shugarts returns as the starting right tackle.

Shugarts was expected to share some time with sophomore Marcus Hall, but the Glenville product who played in nine games last season will miss the entire 2010 campaign due to an academic related redshirt. That opens the door for true freshman Andrew Norwell to step in as the backup right tackle, and Tressel said Tuesday to expect Norwell to get his feet wet in the opener. Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman likes to use a whole second group together, and when he does it will include Miller and Norwell at the two tackle spots. Redshirt sophomore Corey Linsley has found a home as the backup center while Connor Smith and Jack Mewhort will be the No. 2 guards.

Injury Report: Andrew Miller has been battling a left elbow injury, but it’s something he can play through. It likely knocked him out of the battle for the starting left tackle spot, but Miller can also play left guard and even tight end in emergency situations.

Defensive Line

What to Expect: Don’t expect to see junior defensive end Nathan Williams in the game Thursday as Tressel said Monday that the team’s starting Leo would not play against Marshall. Junior Solomon Thomas will take his place in the starting lineup alongside tackles Dexter Larimore and John Simon, but expect to see redshirt freshman Adam Bellamy play some defensive end in running situations. It’s even possible, the Buckeyes could slide Simon out to end in those situations and bring another defensive tackle like freshman Johnathan Hankins or sophomore Garrett Goebel into the game. Either way, expect to see those two guys on the field as a part of the defensive line rotation. Freshman J.T. Moore could even see a few snaps at the Leo spot.

All-American candidate Cam Heyward will be the other end, and expect to see him stay on the field for more plays than he did last season. Because of Ohio State’s depth on the defensive line in 2009, Heyward played only about 60 percent of the plays on defense, but that number could jump to 80 or 90 percent in 2010.

Injury Report: Nathan Williams won’t play in the opener because of an injured left knee. They expect to have him back in week two against Miami, but no guarantees. If he can’t go against the Hurricanes, there’s a possibility Williams’ return could be put on hold until Big Ten play.

Linebackers

What to Expect: Look for junior Andrew Sweat to get the start as the Sam linebacker over classmate Etienne Sabino. That might come as a surprise to those who watched Sabino take all the snaps with the first-team defense during the spring, and through the early part of fall camp, but Sweat was out with a knee injury that required surgery in the middle of last season. Sweat was back at full strength this fall and it didn’t take him too long to supplant Sabino as the third starting linebacker alongside Brian Rolle and Ross Homan.

Able to play all three linebacker spots, Sabino now becomes the unofficial fourth linebacker, which means he should see a good amount of playing time against the Thundering Herd. Along with linebacker, Sabino will be a mainstay on the coverage teams and could even see time at the Star (nickel) or Leo spots, especially with Williams out.    

Injury Report: Backup Mike linebacker Storm Klein has been banged up, which could be why Sabino was listed as the No. 2 middle linebacker behind Rolle on the Marshall depth chart.

Secondary

What to Expect: Seniors cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence will start the game, but expect to see some of the backups get in there, especially Travis Howard. Chekwa has been battling a hamstring injury during fall camp and Howard has taken most of the snaps with the first team over the last two weeks. He and Chekwa might share time pretty evenly on the one side and coach Tressel said that Corey “Pittsburgh” Brown and Dominic Clarke might get a few opportunities behind Torrence on the other side.

Senior Jermale Hines moves back to the free safety spot on a full-time basis this fall, which means Tyler Moeller could make his highly-anticipated return to football as a starter Thursday. Moeller, who missed all of last season with a head injury, is the first-team Star, and coach Tressel said he expects the Buckeyes will play a lot of nickel defense against Marshall. Moeller has not hit anyone from another team in a live game in a year and a half, so the Buckeyes might call on freshman Christian Bryant to get in there and play a little bit at the Star position.

Along with Hines, sophomore C.J. Barnett will get the call as the starting strong safety. That spot had been occupied by redshirt sophomore Orhian Johnson, but a leg injury opened the door for Barnett, who made a tremendous impression on the coaches this fall. Johnson is healthy again, and still battling for playing time at safety, but Barnett has won the job outright and won’t be giving it back just because Johnson is healthy.

Injury Report: The Buckeyes have been banged up in the secondary this fall, and while they will have all of their key players Thursday there are still a number of injury concerns on the back end of the defense. Chekwa and Torrence, the starting corners, have dealt with hamstring injuries and might have their time limited because of it. Orhian Johnson missed 12 practices with a leg injury and fellow safety Nate Oliver still isn’t healthy enough to be the back Star to Moeller, who obviously might have the biggest injury report of anyone on the team. Although he is healthy and cleared to play against Marshall, there’s no question the medical staff will be monitoring him closely, not only in the opener, but throughout the season.

Special Teams

What to Expect: Senior Devin Barclay had an outstanding fall camp and will be the team’s primary place kicker in 2010. He struggled on attempts over 40 yards last season, but showed a drastic improvement in that area this fall. Freshman Drew Basil still has a better leg and will be called upon for any excessively long field goals from 55 yards and out. Basil, who enrolled early in the spring, will also handle the kick off duties for the Buckeyes while redshirt sophomore Ben Buchanan will be the punter.

On the return side, tailbacks Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry will be the kick returns. Hall, who was the team’s No. 3 back last season, will also be Ohio State’s primary punt returner. Cornerback Devon Torrence will be the off returner when they go with a preventive formation and rookie Corey “Philly” Brown will backup Hall as the deep man.

Injury Report: Scheduled to be the off returner, Torrence had been dealing with hamstring issues but should be cleared.

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