Will the Buckeyes look sluggish against Youngstown State or will they dominate from the first snap? Share your thoughts in the comments.
COLUMBUS (AP) — What’s brewing today with the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes …
BUCKEYES BUZZ: The final score a year ago when the Buckeyes played Youngstown State was 38-6.
To hear some of Ohio State’s players talk about it, they won 8-6.
“We just didn’t play well,” OT Alex Boone said. “We didn’t come out, we weren’t firing right away. We had some turnovers. You’re watching film (of that game) and you’re thinking, was that really us? We just weren’t into it. I hope this week we come out playing like we should.”
TB Chris “Beanie” Wells managed just 46 yards on 14 carries, his lowest production in a complete game all season.
“Our attitude right now is just to dominate,” he said. “That’s something that we haven’t done in the past. I guess you could say we always put ourselves down to the level of the competition we’re playing.”
WR Brian Hartline said it’s difficult for any team to play well right out of the blocks in the first game.
“You can’t prepare for something like that,” he said. “You think you’re playing well and you’re coming out of camp. (But) you’re so fatigued. It can happen, but hopefully, again, it won’t happen this year.”
QUOTABLE: YSU coach Jon Heacock on his expectation that Wells will be primed for the rematch:
“We don’t know a whole lot about them, other than last year’s game, but you can be pretty sure that at some time they are going to line up and run that power football right at you,” he said. “And we have to be ready to stop that.”
NOTE THIS: Ohio State has not lost to another in-state school since a 7-6 setback to Oberlin in 1921. The Buckeyes are 174-48-15 vs. its home-turf neighbors.
VOTE NADER! Senior Nader Abdallah will start at defensive tackle because Doug Worthington is being penalized for a DUI arrest in July.
Abdallah was close to quitting the team two years ago, but has bounced back.
“I’m feeling right now that I had a very productive season last year and right now I want to have a breakout year and help the defensive line,” he said. “I want to end my career at Ohio State as a very fine memory.”
You may remember Abdallah because of the graphic stories he told about his family losing its small store/restaurant in suburban New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
He was also a part of a great one-liner by Heisman Trophy QB Troy Smith.
Before the 2004 election, a Columbus TV reporter asked Smith who he was backing for president. He pondered John Kerry and George W. Bush. Then he was asked, “What about (third-party candidate Ralph) Nader?”
Smith responded, “Nader? You mean, Abdallah!? He’s my MAN!”
QUOTABLE II: OSU DB Malcolm Jenkins on trash talk: “I’ve seen some of the worst teams talk, so I think it’s just part of the game. Especially teams who aren’t really highly favored. When they score a touchdown or something like that, you can’t shut them up.”
