New-look Buckeyes ready to tackle new season

With 60 percent of the roster made up of players with little or no college experience, and a Big Ten-low 10 returning starters, the Buckeyes are searching for a new identity after back-to-back top 5 finishes in the polls.

Field trips to tight end Ben Hartsock's family farm each of the the last two years supposedly helped the Buckeyes bond and develop a cohesiveness that led to 25 wins in 27 games, a Big Ten co-championship, a pair of Fiesta Bowl victories and the 2002 national title.

Unfortunately, Hartsock and 13 teammates departed for the NFL this spring, meaning no more tractors to ride, cows to milk or hogs to slop in a show of team unity.

Eee-iii-eee-iii-ouch?

"I don't know if there's any magic formula ... I guess we've got to find a new farm to go to," joked fourth-year head coach Jim Tressel. "I've gotten e-mails and phone calls from people now that Ben's gone, saying `you can move to our farm.' The Hartsocks even invited us back because they didn't want to leave us down.

"But it wasn't just about going to the farm together. It was the players' idea. They arranged it. It isn't the magic of the farm. We'd love it to be that simple. Other things need to happen to build chemistry in the group."

Settling on a starting quarterback would be a good start. Redshirt freshmen Justin Zwick and Troy Smith are dueling for the right to replace Craig Krenzel in a battle Tressel said may be waged through the entire non-conference season.

Stepping in for Krenzel won't be easy. His strength was the intangibles -- intelligence, toughness, cool-headedness, a knack for making big plays at critical times.

Krenzel's 24-3 record as a starter speaks for itself.

"You're losing a guy who was your offensive leader and, in some ways, your whole team leader," Tressel said. "You're losing (Krenzel's) experience and what he did to fight to get to that spot. Our young guys now have done part of the leg work to get to that spot. Now we see how they react to that opportunity."

Zwick, everybody's All-American in high school, is the classic pocket passer. Smith, because of his elusiveness, is more effective on the move and more likely to make something happen if his protection breaks down.

"Ever since the Fiesta Bowl, (becoming the starter) has been on my mind," Zwick said. "Those (seniors) are gone now. It's time to step up ... all the working you do, spring and summer, it drives you."

The quarterback derby has taken attention away from the reclamation projects taking place on the offensive and defensive lines. In addition to Hartsock, the O-line is breaking in three new interior starters. The D-line, meanwhile, must overcome the loss of three three-year starters in All-America end Will Smith and tackles Tim Anderson and Darrion Scott.

That trio set the tone for a defense that allowed per game averages of 77 rushing yards and 13 points in 2002 and 62 rushing yards and 18 points in 2003.

In filling their vacancies on both sides up front, the Buckeyes are banking on strength in numbers.

As many as 10 players are vying for playing time at left guard, right guard and right tackle. Junior tight Ryan Hamby saw extensive action last year, catching 18 passes, and gives OSU a veteran presence, along with junior center Nick Mangold and junior tackle Rob Sims.

Defensively, junior Mike Kudla will get first crack at replacing Smith opposite returning starter Simon Fraser. Junior Marcus Green and sophomores David Patterson, Quinn Pitcock and Joel Penton will likely be part of a tackle rotation.

"There's a dropoff in experience and it's going to hurt in the beginning, but if we can get the ball rolling and win some games early I think we can mesh as a unit," junior linebacker Bobby Carpenter said. "That's what separates a 9-3 team from a 12-0 team, winning those close games. That's where team chemistry comes in."

It should be a combustible mix at linebacker, where Carpenter will join fellow junior and projected first-team All-American A.J. Hawk and newcomer Anthony Schlegel.

Schlegel takes over in the middle after sitting out last year as a transfer from Air Force. The 6-2, 245-pound junior from Texas led the Falcons with 116 tackles in 2002, including 19 against Notre Dame.

Backing up Schlegel will be former Parade magazine national player of the year Mike D'Andrea and John Kerr, a transfer from Indiana. Kerr, a St. Ignatiius product, was the Hoosiers' leading tackler two years ago.

"Schlegel has some of the best football instincts I've seen," Hawk said. "Sometimes he knows what the offense is doing before they do."

Opposing defenses would say the same about Hawk, picked by the media as the Big Ten Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Buckeyes with 106 tackles last season, including four sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

"Sometimes I'm uneasy about notoriety," Tressel said, "but A.J.'s work ethic is tremendous. Hopefully, the other guys will notice that if you do things like A.J., you'll probably get recognized."

It's already happening. With the return of Hawk, Carpenter and D'Andrea, and the addition of Schlegel and Kerr, some forecasters believe the Buckeyes boast the best linebacker corps in the Big Ten, if not the country.

Behind that crew will be a very athletic, very aggressive secondary led by senior cornerback Dustin Fox and junior free safety Nate Salley.

Sports Illustrated predicts sophomore strong safety Donte Whitner is the Buckeye most likely to have a breakout season, but first he has to worry about beating out junior Tyler Everett as the replacement for the departed Will Allen. Junior E.J. Underwood and sophomore Ashton Youboty may not be as electrifying as predecessor Chris Gamble, who left for the pros with one year of eligibility remaining, but they bring big-play capabilities to the field (wide-side) corner position.

Gamble drew raves as a two-way performer on the national championship squad, but one reason he saw less playing time on offense last season was the emergence of flanker Santonio Holmes. Called upon when Drew Carter suffered a season-ending injury, Holmes caught 29 passes for 497 yards and seven touchdowns over the last 5 1/2 games.

The third-year sophomore from Belle Glades, Fla. doesn't have record-setting split end Michael Jenkins to divert attention anymore. It will be up to sophomore Roy Hall, junior Bam Childress and senior John Hollins to pick up the slack in Jenkins' wake.

Even though the Buckeyes ranked a dismal 84th in rushing last season, OSU is hoping senior tailback Lydell Ross and senior fullback Brandon Joe can pick up where they left off. Hampered by injuries early, Ross rushed for 585 yards and five touchdowns in the final six games and led all rushers in the Fiesta Bowl victory over Kansas State with 82 yards. Joe was also a force in that game, rushing for 46 yards on 11 carries in the second half, often out of a one-back set.

"We want to get the running game back to par, the way it should be at Ohio State," Ross said. "I have to try to be consistent, running for 100 yards every game. I think it's important to run the ball to make the young quarterbacks feel more comfortable."

Senior placekicker Mike Nugent has converted 41 of 47 field goal attempts the past two years, providing the reliability Ohio State has also come to expect from its punter. Fifth-year senior Josh Huston takes on that role this season after watching Andy Groom earn first-team All-America honors in 2002 and B.J. Sander win the Ray Guy Award as the nation's best punter last season.

When it comes to the specialty units, all eyes with be on Ted Ginn Jr., the centerpiece of OSU's latest recruiting class. MVP of two all-star games and the USA Today national player of the year in 2003, Ginn is practicing as a cornerback and wide receiver but should make an immediate impact as a kick returner. He had a 98-yard kickoff return in the U.S. Army national all-star game in January.

Ginn, among five Buckeyes from Cleveland Glenville, is one of 45 true or redshirt freshmen on the roster.

"I don't care what you've accomplished," Tressel said. "If you don't understand how difficult the next step is going to be, it will be an eye-opener.

"A lot of these guys withnessed the climb to the top of the mountain and the tremendous effort to try to stay at the top of the mountain, but they did not necessarily take part in it on game day. I hope they were paying attention and have learned some lessons about those things.

"Now we'll find out if they can handle it physically and mentally."