OSU Add New Flavor To Offense: BuckeyeBerry

After being unable to make it up to Columbus for a visit throughout the summer, Miami (FL) Palmetto running back, Jaamal Berry, made the trip up to Ohio Stadium for the Buckeyes’ first game on Saturday. The Bucks have been Berry’s leader over Ole Miss, Florida, LSU, Michigan, and others for a while now, and one of the top backs in the nation just needed his mother to see the school and meet the coaches at OSU before he pulled the trigger on a commitment. His mother must have liked what she saw this weekend, because Berry became commitment number twenty-five for Ohio State’s 2009 recruiting class.

The commitment of Berry is huge for Jim Tressel’s latest top class, as we now inch closer to closing up this class that could add 1-3 more players. After getting off to a hot start, recruiting has cooled down the last six weeks, and the addition of Berry, the top running back in 2009 according to ESPN, gives Buckeye fans something else to talk about besides the pending injury of Beanie Wells. Berry (5′11″ 195 lbs.) joins Carlos Hyde (Tallahassee, FL) and Jordan Hall (Jeannette, PA) as the third running back in the class. While Hyde brings a bruising, power edge to his game, and Hall brings a “Reggie Bush-esque” versatility factor as a receiver out of the backfield, Berry can do it all. He was clocked at 4.31 in the 40-yard dash at a combine this summer and is not afraid to put his shoulder down and take on tacklers. He is a consensus top-tier back in the country across all recruiting services and should have an excellent career in Columbus.

As stated earlier, there is probably only room for 1-3 other players in this class. Candidates for the last few spots include Cleveland Glenville OT Marcus Hall, Minneapolis Washburn TE Ra’Shede Hageman, Memphis Harding WR Marlon Brown, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s TE Dion Sims, St. Lake City OG John Martinez, Scottsdale Saguaro DT Corey Adams, Miami (FL) Gulliver Prep ATH Frankie Telfort, and Plantation (FL) DB Vlad Emilien. Ideally Buckeye fans would want Hall, Brown, Adams, and one of the tight ends, but that would be in a perfect world. Either way the Bucks are going to have a great recruiting class for 2009, and should be prepared to make runs at the National Championship Game for years to come.

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Sunday Morning Quarterback (Discussing the 43-0 win vs. YSU)

When a score is as lopsided as the one Ohio State fans had the pleasure or witnessing on Saturday, Buckeye fans have little to be displeased with during the sixty minutes of smash mouth scarlet and gray football. The Buckeyes amassed an impressive 495 yards through the air and on the ground while the defense continuously stymied the Penguins, limiting them to a combined 74 yards. An impressive start to a season with great expectations. Minus the potentially significant injury to RB Chris Wells, which could be disastrous if it keeps him out for an extended period of time, Jim Tressel and the entire coaching staff seemed extremely pleased with how the game turned out. While the team should get a giant Buckeye sticker to symbolize their unified play, DTI has decided to make it little more specific and hand out six to the most impressive position units on the field.

Offense-

Quarterback- JT stuck to his word and played all three quarterback in the first half of play including heralded freshman Terrelle Pryor, whom did not disappoint. Todd Boeckman (14-19 187 yards 2TD) looked a bit rusty in his first game under center since losing to LSU in last year’s BCS National Championship. However, he did not make many mistakes and connected with wide receivers Brian Robiskie and DeVier Posey for two scores. He seemed much more comfortable in his second season as the Buckeyes’ top signal caller, looking for check-down receivers when the deep routes were not an option and running forward when he had open real estate, a great sign for those in Columbus. Midway through the first quarter, Pryor (4-6 35 yards) made his OSU debut to an stadium full of electricity. The 6′6 freshman looked calm, cool and collected in his game action, rarely making a mistake and sending the crowd into a frenzy when he tucked the football and showed off some great mobility on his nine rushes for 66 yards and a big 21-yard TD run. A true once-in-a-decade type talent, with the ability to run and pass at a high level, USC should take note early as he could prove to be a critical part of their attack on September 13th. Joe Bauserman (3-6 22 yards) might not have the luster of the previous two but he also possesses tremendous overall skill and maybe the best arm of the three. A former minor prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the red shirt freshman has finally found home at Ohio State. While he did not see the field a great deal, he is a natural and made some nice throws in his first live-action football game since high school.

(more…)

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Bucks’ freeze out Penguins

Right: Terrelle “Don’t Call Me Richard” Pryor en route to an 18-yard touchdown.
AP Photo
It couldn’t have been a more ideal setting for Ohio State football on Saturday. The sun was shining down on the Horseshoe uninhibited by a single cloud but the Buckeyes froze out the Youngstown State Penguins like it was February.
The Bucks’ put forth a [...]
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Top RB coming to Ohio State?

At least one publication, Scout.com, is reporting that Jamaal Berry, a highly-recruited running back from Miami (Fla.) Palmetto High School, has verbally committed to Ohio State after an unofficial visit this weekend. He’d be the 25th member of the 2009 recruiting class.
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Bucks Freeze Out Penguins

It couldn’t have been a more ideal setting for Buckeye football on Saturday. The sun was shining down on the horse shoe uninhibited by a single cloud but the Buckeyes froze out the Youngstown state Penguins like it was February.
The Bucks put forth a dominating effort yet still left some of us with a few question marks, [...]
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Five Things: Youngstown State

Along with Rasta Wells, Herron and Saine could form a RB by committee in Beanie’s absence (photo: J. Davidson)

The Beanie Contingency?
Reports are still varied on the status of Beanie’s right foot with talk of either turf toe, a torn ligament or possibly a lisfranc sprain serving as the most repeated …
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Big Ten Players of the Week

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The fine folks at the Big Ten offices will reveal the official winners on Monday, but here are my Player of the Week picks for Week 1. These will appear every Sunday or Monday during the season.

Offensive Player of the Week

Wisconsin running back P.J. Hill — The junior exploded for 210 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 26 carries (8.1-yard average). Hill recorded his second career 200-yard rushing effort despite not touching the ball in the fourth quarter of a win against Akron.

Defensive Player of the Week

Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds – Edds forced a Maine safety, had a deflection that led to an interception and recorded two tackles for loss, including one sack. A mention also should go to Northwestern’s Brendan Smith, who had an interception return for a touchdown against Syracuse.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Penn State wide receiver Derrick Williams – The senior co-captain got off to a great start, returning a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown against Coastal Carolina. Ohio State kicker Ryan Pretorius (4-for-4 on field goals) also merits a mention.

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Field Hockey: Buckeyes Open Season with Shutout of Kent State

Aisling Coyle sets up both Ohio State goals in 2-0 win, Lindsay Quintiliani notches seventh career shutout
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Boeckman deserves props

It’s not bad enough that every other question Todd Boeckman fields these days is about his understudy. Proof that the hype surrounding Terrelle Pryor is out of control hit me between the eyes Saturday night on the ESPN scroll at the bottom of the TV screen. After the final score — OSU 43, Youngstown State 0 — Pryor’s stats were listed, followed by Boeckman’s. Never mind that Boeckman is the starter or put up the bigger numbers or is the quarterback who led OSU to the national championship last season while Pryor was running roughshod over feeble small-school competition in Pennsylvania.

Nothing against Pryor. Early indications are that he will eventually have no trouble living up to the hype. But this is Boeckman’s time and team. In fact, while giving Beanie Wells his due — he piled up 111 rushing yards in basically one half of play before getting hurt — Boeckman was, at worst, co-Player of the Game.

Even though his playing time was chopped up, making it hard to establish a rhythm, he completed 14 of 19 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He would have been well over 200 yards if not for a couple of drops and wasn’t sacked, not that anybody expected YSU defenders to crack OSU’s front line.

Boeckman’s 31-yard strike to a blanketed Brian Robiskie for a touchdown was a thing of beauty on the part of both players. Ditto for the 47-yard connection with Brian Hartline, which Boeckman threw under duress.

 There’s nothing wrong with inserting Pryor into the game at various junctures to give the offense a change-of-pace look. It certainly worked for Florida en route to the national championship two years ago. But news organizations like ESPN would do well to remember that Boeckman is the undisputed No. 1 quarterback on this team.  

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Five Big Ten lessons from Week 1

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The first round of Big Ten games are in the books and the conference landscape hasn’t changed much, which could be a bad thing. Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin look like the class of the league, and all three squads rolled in games in which they should.

But the first month of the season provides the Big Ten ample opportunities to boost its deteriorating national reputation, and so far the league has failed to do so. For the second straight year Illinois fell way behind in the first three quarters against Missouri and couldn’t recover. Michigan State couldn’t keep up with Cal’s running backs and fell short in Berkeley. Michigan’s offense was generally a mess and the Wolverines couldn’t knock off a solid Utah team.

It’s time to look back at five revelations from Week 1. This will be a Sunday staple throughout the season.

1. Michigan offense under construction: The offense looked bland and basic in Rich Rodriguez’s debut, and the simplistic system still prompted plenty of mistakes. Both quarterbacks had their share of struggles, though redshirt freshman Steven Threet made several plays down the stretch that could earn him the starting nod in Week 2. The quarterbacks will endure their share of growing pains, but Michigan can’t afford getting next to nothing from its running backs. The talent is there on both sides of the ball, but the Wolverines won’t win many games averaging 1.4 yards a carry.

2. Impact of Beanie Wells‘ injury: The foot/ankle/toe injury to the star running back overshadowed what otherwise was a brilliant day for Ohio State, which received nice performances from freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor and many others in a 43-0 win against Youngstown State. X-rays were negative, but foot and toe problems can be tricky, especially for a running back who can now be labeled injury prone. The priority is getting Wells ready for a Week 3 matchup at USC, so if he has to sit out next week’s game against Ohio, so be it. Given what the Trojans did to Virginia, Ohio State will need all hands — or feet — on deck at the L.A. Coliseum.

3. Michigan State still not clutch: Six close losses in 2007 fueled preseason hype for the Spartans. Well, add another near miss to the list. Quarterback Brian Hoyer completed only 20 of 48 passes, and though he found a capable target in Mark Dell (202 yards), the senior signal caller couldn’t get his team over the top in a 38-31 loss. More unsettling for Michigan State was a defense that allowed 203 rushing yards. Good teams reflect their head coach, and though the Spartans have started to do so in many areas, a Mark Dantonio team shouldn’t be this vulnerable on defense.

4. Running backs impress: For all the talk of pass-happy spread offenses in the Big Ten, the league still has quite a few guys who can run a bit. Led by under-appreciated junior P.J. Hill, Wisconsin unveiled arguably the league’s most powerful rushing attack and racked up 404 rushing yards against Akron. Wells had 111 rushing yards on just 13 carries before his injury, and Penn State’s two backs (Stephfon Green and Evan Royster) combined for five touchdowns. Iowa’s Shonn Greene (109 yards) showed no signs of rust after a year away from football and the Hawkeyes found a Jewel, as in freshman Jewel Hampton (68 yards, 2 TDs). Northwestern’s Tyrell Sutton showed why he’s still one of the league’s top backs, and Minnesota’s Duane Bennett came up big when it counted. Quarterback Kellen Lewis continues to be Indiana’s best running back, collecting 185 rushing yards Saturday.

5. Illini defense overvalued: I’ll be the first to admit I bought into Illinois’ defense too much this summer. Any defense that loses its core (two safeties, a middle linebacker and a tackle) will probably struggle at first, and Illinois certainly did against Chase Daniel and Missouri. A line that coach Ron Zook called the team’s strength generated only one sack — end Derek Walker did return an interception for a touchdown — and Daniel passed for 323 yards. Linebacker Martez Wilson still looks like the real deal, but the Illini need more from others if they want to be considered an elite defense.

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