OSU-Troy notebook
September 20, 2008
By JON SPENCER
NNCO
COLUMBUS — Veteran Ohio State center Jim Cordle had a different perspective than usual on Ohio State’s quarterback play Saturday, and not just because the Buckeyes switched from Todd Boeckman to Terrelle Pryor as the starter.
With left guard Steve Rehring expected to be sidelined a few weeks by a sprained foot, Cordle shifted over one spot to replace Rehring with freshman Mike Brewster handling the snaps in the Buckeyes’ 28-10 victory over Troy.
“I helped Mike out with the calls,” said Cordle, a junior from Lancaster. “It’s nice to have two centers out there. He did fine physically, and he’ll keep getting better.”
Brewster is part of a heralded trio of linemen in the 2008 recruiting class, along with J.B. Shugarts and Mike Adams. All have already worked their way into the rotation.
“It’s good that (Brewster) competed in the game because you really need (repetitions) to be good at center and see everything,” Cordle said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Cordle was even more impressed with the way Ohio State’s freshman quarterback handled himself in the huddle.
“Terrelle’s been composed and a leader from day one,” Cordle said. “In the huddle, he’s like, ‘Let’s go.’ His demeanor was very serious. He was very focused.”
SMALL ROLE: Junior wide receiver Ray Small has been seen and heard a lot this season, returning a punt 69 yards for a touchdown against Ohio University and then making inflammatory comments about USC before last week’s 35-3 loss in Los Angeles.
Saturday, hardly a peep was heard from Small — on or off the field. He didn’t make an appearance until he ran a reverse for a 1-yard loss with eight minutes left in the game.
When asked if Small had “lost his car keys” — Tressel’s pet phrase for someone being disciplined — he didn’t give a straight answer.
“He got in the game today,” Tressel said, adding that Small is fighting for playing time.
“When we have two receivers on the field, it’s usually been the two Brians (Robiskie and Hartline). When we have three, it’s been the two Brians and Dane (Sanzenbacher). Ray’s been our fourth guy. He wasn’t our fourth guy today. We opted to go with (DeVier) Posey and Taurian Washington.
“I think Dane has played very solid. You don’t have to look at statistics all the time to look at how solid a guy plays. He was where he was supposed to be.”
BIG FOOT: Stealing some of Pryor’s thunder with his right foot was senior punter A.J. Trapasso. He averaged 46.6 yards on seven kicks, including a 60-yarder that was downed on the 1 and a 35-yarder that he deadened at the 4. Both kicks indirectly set up the Buckeyes with a short field on their last two touchdowns.
“I think two of the big plays were A.J.’s punts in the second half,” Tressel said. “It’s different when you’re backed up inside the 5. Our defense swarmed. Troy’s a tough team, and we had to rise up and play tough.”
PLAYING FAST: Troy ran seven more plays (66 to 59) than OSU out of its hurry-up offense, finishing with a 315 to 309 edge in total yardage. But all the Trojans had to show for it was one second quarter touchdown, a 45-yard reception by Jerrel Jernigan on which he avoided tackles by four Buckeyes.
Troy scored 91 points in losses to Arkansas, Florida and Georgia last season and rang up 41 in a victory over Oklahoma State.
“The most important thing was trying to get our calls in,” said linebacker James Laurinaitis, who led the Buckeyes with 12 tackles, including a sack inside the 5 that forced Troy to settle for a field goal. “When teams try to hurry up like that, the worst thing that can happen is guys running around, not getting lined up.
“We figured they averaged a play every 22 seconds. They averaged 81 plays a game. You tend to get tired, but we made some plays. When you play a team with that kind of pace, they try to nickel and dime you. We did a good job of getting lined up and making things happen.”
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