Now healthy, Ross ready to shoulder the load

COLUMBUS -- Toe and shoulder injuries limited Lydell Ross' effectiveness last season, making him part of the problem for an Ohio State running attack that ranked 84th in the nation.

This year Ross feels he can be part of the solution. And the senior tailback has some numbers to back his claim.

Healthier in the second half of last season, Ross rushed for 585 yards and five touchdowns in the final six games. That included three 100-yard games and a game-high 82 yards on 20 carries in OSU's 35-28 victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.

"When I'm healthy, I can produce," Ross said. "It showed at the end of last season. I'm here for a reason. Ohio State recruits the best talent in the nation and that's why they recruited me. I feel I can be a 1,000-yard back."

Ross hasn't made anyone forget the 2002 game-breaking antics of Maurice Clarett before his fall for grace. But if he matches last year's rushing total of 826 yards Ross will finish among the 10 top rushers in school history. And he's just 1,136 yards shy of becoming only the sixth Buckeye to rush for 3,000 yards in his career.

"I think Lydell has handled three distinctly different years pretty darn well," coach Jim Tressel said. "He was thrust in there as a freshman and gave us a good change of tempo behind a 1,000-yard back, Jonathan Wells. Then his second year he was beat out for the starting job (by Clarett), but was still a good role player.

"Last year, despite the distraction (of the season-long Clarett suspension) and comments that we would have done better with Maurice in there, I thought Lydell handled that well.

"If he stays injury-free and progresses the way he progressed during spring practice, he can have one of those senior years we need to be a good team."

Plagued by nagging injuries throughout his OSU career, Ross has shed about 10 pounds (down to 222) and feels he's in peak condition.

With the Buckeyes replacing three linemen up front, Ross has been watching film of the newbies so he can become familiar with their blocking tendencies.

He also welcomes the competition he's getting from fellow seniors Maurice Hall and all-purpose back Brandon Joe, as well as freshman Tony Pittman, an early enrollee and star of the spring game with 105 yards on 21 carries.

"I think the job is mine to lose, but I like the competition," Ross said. "Having someone ready to take my job keeps me on my toes.

"I feel better at a lighter weight and I feel I had the best spring since I've been here. I expect as many carries as coach will give me. I expect to run a lot and for us to be a productive running team."

Cynics would say Ross is basing that assertion on blind faith. His 4.3 yards -per-carry average was the lowest by OSU's leading rusher in a season since Vince Workman's 3.9 in 1987. Still, Ross' average was a full yard better than the 3.3 sported by the Buckeyes collectively.

Only Michigan State (3.2) fared worse in the Big Ten and only Illinois, with five rushing touchdowns, scored less on the ground than the Buckeyes. Ross accounted for 10 of OSU's 14 rushing TDs.

The struggles are hard to comprehend because three of OSU's linemen -- four if you include tight end Ben Hartsock -- were NFL draft picks.

"We should always be ranked high (in rushing)," Ross said. "We just had to fix some things. Sometimes if one thing doesn't go right it messes up the whole thing. I didn't let it frustrate me. I just focused on getting better."

Ross has set four goals for this season: 1. Win a national championship; 2. Rush for 1,000-plus yards; 3. Rush for over 100 yards in every game; 4. Help the team win every game.

That's funny, because that's what probably what most of an unforgiving Buckeye Nation expects, too.

"I think it's a fair expectation," Ross said. "Running backs at Ohio State are expected to be productive and gain 100 yards a game. That's the way it's been in the past ... so I think it's fair.

"If we're not talking about the quarterback, we're talking about the tailback at a school like Ohio State known for running the ball. We want to get the running game back to par, the way it should be at Ohio State."

Once Clarett blew into Columbus, everyone seemed to forget that Ross was one of the most sought-after tailbacks in the country, rushing for 2,676 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior at Gaither High in Tampa, Fla.

"I think he's capable of a breakout year," Tressel said. "I admire the way he's grown; it hasn't been an ideal situation. So I'm kind of rooting for him, if you know what I mean.

"Not that I'm not rooting for Mo Hall, too, because he's a senior. And I'm rooting for Brandon Joe to have an outstanding year as a fullback-tailback multiple guy."

Ross isn't interested in being part of a tailback-by-committee. When all is said and done, he hopes he's mentioned in the same breath with premier Big Ten backs like Minnesota's Marion Barber III and Wisconsin's Anthony Davis.

"I think I'm one of the top backs in the conference, too, and I think this year it will show," Ross said. "I have to be more consistent. I have to lean forward, get extra yards, keep my legs moving. Those are the little things I can work on."