Penguins in Review

So when I wrote last Saturday night that we'd review the Youngstown State victory "tomorrow", I'm sure our fearless readers understood that to mean "basically a week from now". Not that you were all on the edge of your seats for the groundbreaking analysis that would come after a ho-hum 38-6 victory against an in-state I-AA team. (whoops, treading carefully with that reference...more for later).

So what should you take away, just 14 hours away from a showdown with Akron?

*As we've been saying all along, Todd Boeckman started and performed quite well. No, he's not going to win a Heisman, but thus far he appears to have the tools to run the offense. It will be interesting to see how things go as the competition is amped up. Boeckman displayed a good connection with #1 WR Brian Robiskie, but seemed to miss other open receivers like Brian Hartline. And some of his careless throws could easily turn into interceptions down the road.

*Rob Schoenhoft didn't play a lot but didn't look good when he was in. A career 2nd teamer? That might be harsh at this point, but Schoenhoft should be further along than he is. He's the highest rated of the three scholarship quarterbacks, but seems caught in no man's land. He lacks Boeckman's familiarity with the offense and experience, and he doesn't have the athleticism or upside of Antonio Henton.

*Arguably the most talented player on the Buckeye roster, Chris Wells was a non-factor. And that's being generous to a player would claimed his "mind was elsewhere" during the first half. Fans are hoping that the (a) lack of significant opponent; (b) failure of the offensive line to step up; and (c) the unimaginative play calling were rally to blame. Could he still be shaking off the rust from a spring ankle injury?

*Brian Robiskie has officially replaced Lawrence Wilson as the junior most likely to make a surprise jump to the draft. He looks primed for a monster season, and his stock might not benefit from a senior season if he keeps producing this way.

*True freshmen Dane Sanzenbacher, Taurian Washington and Brandon Saine all scored touchdowns in their first contest. Folks, the '07 class may be small, but is going to be special. Saine looked every bit the part of an elite running back, showing off his elite speed and some nice moves. Sanzenbacher has been the talk of the camp, and despite a few drops, he looks like a keeper. Washington broke away on a long TD from Henton and showed a great burst and stride in the open field. Since he's from Michigan, any success will be all that sweeter.

*Good news: Maurice Wells was actually productive, as the coaches got him the ball in space and let him do his thing. Bad news: Saine looks like a legitimate threat to co-op the #2 RB spot.

*The offensive line was mediocre at best. Given their size, they should have blown Y-State off the ball at will. Instead, the short yardage game struggled. Jim Cordle and Steve Rehring in particular seemed out of sync. Alex Boone, who was extremely dedicated in the off-season after the Florida loss, didn't play anywhere near his talent level. On the plus side, backups Conner Smith and Bryant Browning were solid in limited reps. Browning, a former three-star from Glenville, appears poised to take Rehring's job if the big guy continues to struggle.

*The young defensive tackles were adequate but will need to improve. They have a set four player rotation with Todd Denlinger, Doug Worthington, Dexter Larimore and Nader Abdullah. At this juncture, none of them have the ability to wreak havoc and be a true difference maker. But give the lack of game experience, significant improvements are expected...fingers crossed.

*The loss of Lawrence Wilson cannot be underestimated. He had break-out written all over until the injury occurred, now OSU will have to cope with a reduced pass rush. Wilson could have had a better year than Gholston, though in some part due to the double teams Vernon will see. Now, the best that can be hoped for is a return in November for the big stretch. Though the injury is minor as far as breaks go, don't expect the coaches to rush him back. This is a future NFL defensive end, and OSU is not going to risk his future for a few snaps.

Robert Rose, Cameron Heyward and Alex Barrow will now assume the #2-4 spots at the end rotation. Rose is a monster waiting to happen, though he inexplicably didn't see a lot of action on Saturday. Heyward has shocked everyone with his size and strength as a true freshman, so he's going to get a ridiculous amount of on-the-job training.

*The linebackers failed to impress, at least by Ohio State standards. Yes, they made all of the plays and didn't seem to make a lot of mistakes. But they made a lot of stops a few yards down the field, and there were no big plays like turnover or tackles for loss. Ross Homan was the best of the bunch, Little Animal included. Marcus Freeman also seems like he's turning a corner. He'll be good this year, but he should be a great senior next season.

*A lot of open receivers, and almost all were missed by the Youngstown quarterback. Better teams will hit those receivers, so OSU must exert more pressure and cover tighter. The coaches love Donald Washington, but he plays like Dustin Fox, which I don't mean as a complement. Maybe there's something in the Tressel scheme that keeps these guys open in space.

*The best news in the secondary was the redshirt freshman Chimdi Chekwa and true freshman Gene Clifford were great in nickel situations. With Malcolm off to collect his money next year, the position looks to be in good hands.

*Kurt Coleman might have been the best player on the defensive side. He was hitting hard in run support and flying all over the place in coverage. Jamario O'Neal is going to have a tough time reclaiming his spot.

Ohio State: Breaking Down the Linebackers

Last year was supposed to be a rebuilding for the OSU defense, which lost 9 starters from the conference co-champion team of 2005. However, the 2006 unit exceeded expectations, leading the nation in scoring defense for much of the season. Certainly the defense was protected by a juggernaut offense that kept it off the field and constantly put pressure on the opponents. Problems in the secondary were exposed when Michigan was in the hurry-up facing a nearly insurmountable deficit, and obviously in the BCS title game when Florida picked apart the zone coverage. The Buckeyes will look for the linebackers to be the strength of a unit that should be one of the toughest in the nation in 2007.

As a caveat, linebacker is another example of how the coaching staff values flexibility and versatility. The Buckeyes will mix up their personnel depending on formation, and hence they rarely split players up into traditional Mike, Will and Sam distinctions. That's particularly true given the proliferation of spread offenses in the Bg Ten.

Leading the charge is Nagurski winner James Laurinaitis, who enters his junior season as the undisputed field general of the defense. The "Little Animal" filled in for Bobby Carpenter as a freshman in his first win against Michigan, and had a knack for big plays in his first year as a starter. He will man the middle and be an every down player for OSU. Despite the plethora of awards and nominations, the coaches are looking for Laurinaitis to take a big step forward, improving his lateral movement in the running game and showing improvement in coverage. Laurinaitis currently claims that he will return for his senior season in 2008.

The other mainstay at linebacker is junior Marcus Freeman, a former four-star recruit. Freeman's performance thus far is considered somewhat disappointing given the expectations coming in. But an injury sustained as a freshman set him back somewhat at the beginning of last year, and he was significantly better by the end of last year. Freeman is not much of a pass-rushing threat, but he is a sure tackler and makes good reads in zone coverage. There is little downside to his game, and he has a chance to emerge as a star.

The spring's breakout star was senior Larry Grant, a junior college transfer from 2006. Grant was all over the field in the spring game, wreaking havoc in the backfield. Now that light has gone on for Grant, the coaches hope he will transition from a solid contributor to a dynamic playmaker. He will be spelled by senior Curtis Terry, who offers a tough run presence in support. Terry is extremely aggressive and can be used in certain zone blitz packages as well.

The first option off the bench is sophomore Ross Homan, one of the outstanding four-stars from the class of 2006. Homan can play both inside and outside and could see more overall snaps than both Grant and Terry. He is being groomed for a starting job in 2008.

Joining Homan on the second unit is redshirt sophomore Austin Spitler. There was some talk that Spitler might move to the other side of the ball and play fullback. But that never materialized, and Spitler turned in an impressive spring. Along with redshirt freshman Mark Johnson, Spitler is insurance in case Laurinaitis heads to the NFL next year. Johnson, a four-star recruit from 2006, was one of the nation's top inside 'backers as a prep player. Injuries cost Johnson his entire freshman campaign, and he never really got into the flow of the defense. But those inside the program like Johnson's fiery attitude and leadership skills. Though he will get some reps, expect a true impact to happen in '08-'09.

Also in the mix is redshirt freshman Thaddeus Gibson, a top ten outside linebacker in 2006. Gibson is currently working behind Grant and Terry on the strong side, but has the speed and athleticism to switch to the weak side if needed. With Grant and Terry graduating after this season, Gibson will compete for major playing time in 2008.

Ohio State has two four-star linebackers coming from the 2007 class: Brian Rolle from Immokalee, FL and Jermale Hines from Cleveland's Glenville High School. Rolle is a bit undersized at 5'11" but has great instincts and blazing closing speed. He was also a bruising fullback that will not shy away from contact. Rolle was the MVP of the Florida North-South game and dramatically rose up the recruiting ranking as the yea went by. Hines was a late qualifier and choose OSU over Michigan and Iowa. He played outside linebacker on defense and QB on offense, so he's got the athleticism to move around. He could start out as a large safety depending on his development.

Though Ohio State has great depth at linebacker, the 2008 class has a number of extremely talented linebackers interested in the Buckeyes. Topping this list is Andrew Sweat from Washington Trinity (PA). Sweat recently cut Michigan and Penn State from his final four and will choose between Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Another target for Coach Tressel is Cardinal Mooney's Mike Zordich. Zordich has offers from Michigan, LSU, and Oklahoma, among others. But with a Dad that played for Joe Paterno, this appears to be a battle between Penn State and Ohio State. Zordich is probably not the most athletic player you'll find, but he has great football smarts and is a natural leader. He could also play fullback in college, and with his intangibles is a great bet to be captain wherever he chooses. Both Zordich and Sweat are expected to announce in the next few weeks.

Other out-of-state players on OSU's radar are Shayne Hale, Steven Filer, Brendan Beal, and Christian Wilson. Of the group, Hale is receiving the most attention from OSU. He was recently named as a five-star by Rivals. There is likely only room for one other linebacker should Sweat and Zordich commit. Beal is probably the least likely to become a Buckeye, seemingly headed for USC or Notre Dame. Within the state of Ohio, there are a number of other outstanding prep linebackers like Steve Gardiner, Doug Rippy and Mike Spooner. None currently have offers from OSU.