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December 2009
Rose Bowl report: Weather throws wrinkle at Buckeyes
LOS ANGELES - Contrary to what the English born singer-song writer Albert Hammond wrote and sang in his 1972 hit “It Never Rains in Southern California,” it does rain in Southern California. It did not pour, but persistent rains Wednesday morning in Los Angeles soaked the practice fields and prompted the cancellation of Ohio State’s scheduled afternoon practice at the Home Depot Center.
Following a team media day at the media headquarters, the Marriott Los Angeles Downtown, the Buckeyes returned to their hotel late Wednesday morning for team meetings before the originally scheduled 1:15 p.m. practice. The team learned then that a decision had been made not to practice outdoors because of the weather.
The team still used the time available to prep for the game. The Buckeyes utilized some of the giant conference room and meeting room space in the lower level of the Marriott for numerous offensive, defensive and position meetings.
This kind of hot dogging allowed
Players and coaches enjoyed hot dogs and chili dogs from local Hollywood eatery Pink’s after their position meetings and team sessions at the Hyatt. Pink’s, a family-owned hot dog stand since 1939, is known as the hot dog to the stars. Best way to find the restaurant according to its web site is to look for a crowd and “follow the aroma of fresh meaty chili and soft hot dog buns.”
Song was a Top Five Hit
“It Never Rains in Southern California” was a major hit song, peaking at No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard charts in 1972. Sonny and Cher and Barry Manilow also recorded versions of the song.
Nice to See Steve
Long-time Ohio State sports information director Steve Snapp, a veteran of 35 bowl games, is at his 36th. Snapp, who is continuing to improve and rehabilitate after enduring a stroke almost a year ago, came to the Rose Bowl on one of the booster organization bowl packages.
Massive Media Day
The media day Wednesday was a 45-minute full team affair. Each of the 102 players on the trip was made available to the assembled media contingent, which is growing by day. The players were either seated at one of 11 round tables situated in the Marriott ballroom or they were at a raised podium with TV lights and microphones. Every Buckeye player attended.
Low Key Thad
Junior defensive end Thaddeus Gibson has enjoyed the stay in Los Angeles after previously spending two bowl weeks in Scottsdale, Ariz. (one Fiesta Bowl and one BCS championship game) and one in New Orleans (BCS championship game). He hasn’t left the hotel much, though.
“The mall [adjacent to the hotel] is fun, but I really haven’t done much,” Gibson said. “It is a fun week, but this is a work week and I’m concentrating on getting myself ready to go.”
Same for Simon
Freshman defensive tackle John Simon hasn’t been out experiencing Los Angeles outside of team functions, either, preferring instead to stay close to the hotel.
“It is a great experience,” Simon said of his first bowl trip. “I haven’t gone out at all. I’d like to, but I want to stay focused on the game.”
Last is Best
Fifth-year senior Andrew Moses is having his best bowl trip. The already graduated Moses (political science) has been on four previous bowl trips - all BCS games; 2006 Fiesta Bowl, 2007 BCS championship game, 2008 BCS championship game and 2009 Fiesta Bowl - and he says this Rose Bowl has been his best.
“This bowl trip, with the sites of Los Angeles and places like Disneyland, has been the best,” Moses said. “My teammates have made it great. This is a really close team and just hanging out with my teammates has been fantastic. Plus, Lawry’s was great and I went to Long Beach, too.”
West Coast Grant
There is only one player on Ohio State’s roster from California: junior receiver Grant Schwartz. He is from Dana Hills, near Disneyland, and coming to a bowl game in his home state has been nothing short of cool for him.
“It is a cool experience to come here with all the guys,” Schwartz said. “It’s my home state so it’s a lot different of a road trip for me. I haven’t been able to show the guys things like my high school, but Disneyland was cool. I’ve been there a bunch of times so I was able to show the guys around.”
Counting the time he spent at home prior to the holidays, Schwartz has been able to hook up with many high school friends. They shouldn’t ask Grant for tickets to the game, though. He gets six tickets for family and friends and they were gone immediately. He did say he’ll have about 30 friends and family at the game.
Wednesday’s report from the Rose Bowl, courtesy of Ohio State media relations
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Rose Bowl report: Defense ready to fly to ball
Tuesday’s report from the Rose Bowl, courtesy of Ohio State media relations:
Rose Bowl media interview the team’s defensive captains, Ross Homan and Coach Heacock
LOS ANGELES - Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon’s talented junior quarterback who has a 7-1 record in games from Nov. 2 on, was a major focus of questions Tuesday during the defensive media day for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Following the interviews, the Buckeyes hit the Home Depot Center practice fields for another two-hour session in shorts and helmets.
Representing the Buckeyes at the media headquarters for early-morning interviews were team captains Kurt Coleman, Austin Spitler and Doug Worthington, plus leading tackler Ross Homan and defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.
Ohio State’s defense has year-in-and-year-out been one of the best in all of college football. This year is no exception. The unit ranks in the NCAA Top 10 in five defensive categories, including fifth in total defense (262.5) and fifth in scoring defense (12.1).
Masoli has averaged nearly 300 yards of total offense the past four games (three of them Ducks wins to clinch the school’s first Rose Bowl berth since 1995) with 13 touchdowns (nine passing, four rushing). For the season he has passed for 2,066 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, plus he has rushed for 659 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The four Buckeyes who met with the media know Masoli, who is 5-11 and 220 pounds, will be a challenge to contain. Here’s what they had to say about:
Coleman: “He is very elusive. If you are coming on a blitz as a linebacker or a defensive end you have to hold your spot and allow other people to come and help out making the tackle. It’s going to be a tricky thing because he will elude one tackler and continue to throw the ball downfield. It will be a challenge for our DBs to stick on their man.”
Spitler: “Masoli makes great decisions. He does a lot of unorthodox things that you wouldn’t teach a quarterback to do, but it’s been working for them so I don’t know why they would stop. I don’t know how to classify this guy. He is unlike anyone I have ever seen. He is a great runner, a power runner, but he makes people miss at the same time.”
Worthington: “Masoli is the leader of that team. He is the heart-and-soul of that team and we know that. He makes great plays. He is a leader. He is a vocal leader. He is someone who they (Oregon coaches) put a lot on his back and he does very well with it.”
Homan: “Masoli is a great athlete and a great leader for the team. He is the one that makes their offense work. He is the brains of their offense. He makes everything go. He is a great runner and he is a double threat. He can throw the football very well and pull it down and run it very well.”
More than Masoli The Oregon offense, which led the Pac 10 (league games only) in 11 of 23 offensive statistical categories including scoring offense (41.7 ppg) and total offense (475.1 ypg), is more than just Jeremiah Masoli. Redshirt freshman running back LaMichael James was named Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year after rushing for 1,476 yards and 14 touchdowns. His rushing total is seventh-best nationally and second-best all-time at Oregon.
James is only 5-9 and 180 pounds and reports say the shifty speed merchant - he leads the nation with 20 rushes of 20-plus yards and with 582 rushing yards against AP Top 25 teams - hasn’t had a lot of clean hits. Ohio State plans to utilize its Silver Bullets mentality to stop him.
“I’m 6-6 and I think he is 5-8 or 5-9, so just that height difference makes me have to get low to tackle him,” Worthington said. “But that’s why we are the Silver Bullets. We have at least five to 10 guys on every play making a tackle. We have to make sure we gang tackle and run to the ball and leave everything out on the field.”
“We pride ourselves on getting as many guys to the football as we can,” Spitler said. “We don’t have guys loafing to the football. Our mindset is every guy get to the football.”
While James clearly has speed, Homan is impressed with another of his traits.
“James is very patient as a runner,” Homan said. “He sees a hole very quickly and he can hit it but he is very patient behind his O-linemen.”
Oregon Offense Go-Go-Goes
Oregon utilizes an effective, no-huddle attack that keeps opposing defenses off balance and limits opportunities for substitutions. The offense is as good as Coleman has faced.
“We faced offenses that run the no-huddle,” Coleman said. “Michigan kind of ran a no-huddle, look-look style of offense, so we have faced this kind of offense but nothing as powerful as what Oregon has. And as many weapons as Oregon has, this offense is right up there with one of the best offenses I have seen.
“We’ve conditioned for it. It’s all about containing your poise and being able to make the right adjustments. If your defense can stay poised and play their assignment football, the offense or the tempo of their offense shouldn’t affect you.”
Preparing for Ducks that Fly
Preparing for a team that has fast, shifty athletes and one that runs an up-tempo, no-huddle offense can be a challenge. Some of the things Oregon does on the field one can’t practice for, according to Worthington.
“Some of their speed you just can’t prepare fully for,” Worthington said. “We just have to practice hard and practice fast to prepare for it. It is a tempo game. Luckily we have great depth on our defensive line and on our defense where we can rotate guys and make sure guys are fresh.”
Drink Plenty of Fluids
Worthington added that taking care of one’s body by eating right and drinking plenty of fluids all week will help the team during the game.
“The preparation (for the no-huddle) is something that happens today,” Worthington said. “It starts today in that you have to drink water and you have to drink fluids and you have to put good things into your body because you need your body to be at peak performance with no cramping and no fatigue. Everybody knows how hard this game is going to be and how fast it is going to go.”
Buckeyes Have Speed, Too
With Oregon’s athletes and its speed dominating the discussion Tuesday, Spitler was quick to point out that Ohio State has speed.
“We have speed, too,” Spitler said. “It will be a big challenge for us, though, with all the athletes they put on the field and with all the misdirection they do and with their great quarterback. Our number one goal is to always get pressure on the quarterback. If we are effective in doing that we can make him make some quick decisions and maybe they won’t be the right decisions.”
No Back Seat for this Secondary
Spitler was asked about Ohio State’s secondary and if it tends to get overlooked. He said he has watched it and been impressed by it for five years and this year it really flies to the ball.
“Our secondary can compete with anybody out there,” Spitler said. “They have speed and they have a knack for the football. I’ve really seen it this year. Guys read a play and they can make a break for it.”
No. 2 in Picks
Ohio State has recorded the second-most interceptions in the nation with 23. Defensive backs, led by Coleman’s five and Anderson Russell’s three, have accounted for 13 of those interceptions. Ohio State’s top five defensive backs have 22 career interceptions.
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Rose Bowl report: Buckeyes go Hollywood
What are the Buckeyes up to in California? OSU media relations is sending daily reports. Monday’s installment:
An Offensive Media Day
Boom, Brandon, Dane, Terrelle and Coach Bollman Meet with Media
LOS ANGELES - Monday in Southern California was another pleasant day with temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s for the Ohio State Buckeyes to conduct a two-hour practice session. The team returned to practicing in shorts and helmets after a hard-hitting day in full pads on Sunday.
Media was allowed to photograph and film about 20 minutes of the practice session. Included in the contingent was the ABC announcing crew for the game: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters.
After practice the Buckeyes returned to the team hotel. The players then had a night to take in the sights and sounds of aspiring and established comedians at The Hollywood Improv.
Some Special Guests Members of the Challengers Boys & Girls Club out of Los Angeles stopped by practice and had an opportunity to meet and shake hands with the players.
We Saw Snow Today, Too
Most of the haze around Los Angeles disappeared as the local temperatures continued to get warmer, and on the bus ride to the Home Depot Center the team saw snow. It was the snow-capped peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains, though, about 40 miles east of L.A.
An Official Interview Day
It’s getting serious at the Rose Bowl when opposite sides of the football meet with the media and that’s how Monday started. Members of the Ohio State offense, including offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Jim Bollman, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running backs Dan “Boom” Herron and Brandon Saine and receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, spent 30 minutes with the press at the official media headquarters - the Marriott Los Angeles Downtown - after members of the Oregon defense first met with them. Some notes from the interviews:
Pryor was asked about playing against Oregon, a team that recruited him. He’s been in this situation before.
“This is the same as what happened with the USC and Penn State games,” Pryor said. “I just had to choose a team. It’s going to be fun playing against a team/coach that recruited you. It comes with the territory. You have to play them (schools that recruited you) sometime.”
Boom on Intensity
Herron was asked about the team’s intense practice during the full-pads session on Sunday and he said the closer the team gets to game day the more the guys want to hit.
“It just makes you want to get out there and play and that’s what we are here for,” Herron said. “It was great to go out and hit a couple guys (on Sunday) and to get the feeling of playing the game we all love.”
Going with the Known
Brandon Saine was asked about what the team would do to try and exploit the Oregon defense. The team’s leading rusher among running backs with 694 yards this season felt the team would probably attack with what it does best: run the football.
“If we stick to what we do best and keep running the ball the way we are, maybe we can get them off pace with a couple of different things,” Saine said.
Sanzenbacher also felt strong about the Buckeyes’ running game.
“I think with the backs we have and with our offensive line, we always have a great shot with our running game,” said Sanzenbacher, a 12-game starter at wide receiver.
It’s Not About USC & Purdue
Saine did not feel that Oregon’s wins over the two teams that beat Ohio State this season - USC and Purdue - would have any bearing on the outcome of the Rose Bowl.
“I think you have to take every game by itself,” Saine said. “This game will just play out without any outside factors and I think it will be a great game.”
Sanzenbacher also got a USC/Purdue question, only from the angle of watching film. He said that you have to evaluate film from the games Oregon won and also from the games Oregon lost.
On the Receiving End
Ohio State is minus two of its top four receivers for the Rose Bowl, although Ray Small and Duron Carter combined for only 2.3 receptions per game with one touchdown. Taurian Washington and Lamaar Thomas are thus getting more reps in practice. Those two may have only one reception between them this season, but they haven’t gotten down, according to Sanzenbacher.
“There is not a lot of frustration,” Sanzenbacher said. “They’ve handled the season very well…better than a lot of guys would have. They want to play, but they understand in a place like this you wait your turn to get your opportunities and then you make the most of it.”
Sanzenbacher was surprised when he learned the news about his two teammates that wouldn’t make the trip.
“You expect to travel with guys you go through the season with,” Sanzenbacher said. “It’s a tough situation. We’d love to have them out here. The receivers are a close group. They are some of our best friends.”
Ducks’ Secondary Makes Plays
Sanzenbacher has been impressed with what he has seen on film regarding the Oregon secondary.
“They are a fast group in the secondary,” Sanzenbacher said. “You’ve seen that through all their games. They aren’t oversized. Their stats on paper don’t jump out at you, but they are guys that make plays and are going to be around the ball.”
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Carter not playing in Rose Bowl
OSU confirmed Duron Carter’s status this morning. Reports earlier this week indicated that Carter was not in good standing academically:
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State freshman wide receiver Duron Carter will not be involved in the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl game with Oregon in Pasadena Jan. 1.
The Buckeyes continue practice for the Rose Bowl in Columbus through Dec. 21.
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Rose Bowl tickets sell out in 10 minutes
This just in from Ohio State:
Rose Bowl Tickets Sell Out in 10 Minutes
Tickets to go out via overnight delivery Dec. 17
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The final 1,000 (approx.) Rose Bowl tickets - out of 25,235 allocated to Ohio State University - sold out in approximately 10 minutes Friday morning. The tickets were made available to the general public on the Athletic Department’s official web site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com - for $155 with a $25 per-order fee.
The Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office is continuing to process all ticket orders and will overnight the tickets to those who have purchased them beginning Dec. 17.
This was believed to have been only the third time in the last 15 years that Ohio State has had a public sale of bowl game tickets.
