Aug 29, 2007, 15:33 GMT
Columbus, OH - The 11th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes have won 28 straight home openers and they will try to extend that streak this Saturday, when they host the Youngstown State Penguins from Ohio Stadium.
The Buckeyes are coming off another tremendous season, although their 2006 campaign didn't exactly end on a high note. Still, OSU ripped through the regular season and finished undefeated at 12-0. With that came a spot in the BCS National Championship game for the second time this decade. Unfortunately, this trip didn't go as well as the first one did, as the Buckeyes were shredded by Florida 41-14, bringing their once dominating campaign to a crashing halt. Despite the lopsided loss, head coach Jim Tressel should have OSU contending for the national title once again in 2007, as the Buckeyes return 11 starters from last year's club that won the Big Ten title for a second straight year.
Speaking of titles, YSU has some hardware of its own to show off, as the Penguins are the two-time defending Gateway champions of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Penguins also welcome back 12 starters from last year's squad which went 11-3 and earned a spot in the NCAA playoff semifinals. These two Ohio schools have never met before, but Tressel is very familiar with the Penguins. Before taking over at OSU in 2001, Tressel was the head coach at YSU from 1986-2000. Tressel built YSU into a national power at the Football Championship Subdivision level, leading it to 10 playoff appearances and four national titles. He posted a 135-57-2 mark with the Penguins and he has gone 62-14 in his six seasons with the Buckeyes.
The Penguins relied heavily on their ground attack in '06, rushing for 223.7 ypg and 38 touchdowns. Unfortunately, tailback Marcus Mason is no longer around to set the pace and his 1,847 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns from '06 will surely be missed. Sophomore Jabari Scott redshirted last season, but he is expected to be the man threat in the backfield in this year. With the inexperience in the backfield, quarterback Tom Zetts will have to take his game up another level. The senior gunslinger started all 14 games for the Penguins last season, throwing for 2,086 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He is also dangerous out of the pocket, rushing for 334 yards and four more scores. Senior wide out Rory Berry and tight end Louis Irizarry combined for 56 catches, 670 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season and they figure to be Zetts' main targets once again in '07.
The Penguins have some holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, but they do return some key players that should make this a solid unit overall. A big bonus for YSU is the return of senior linebacker Jeremiah Wright, who was a medical redshirt last year. Wright has 232 career tackles to his credit and he is hoping to regain his form that landed him all-league honors in '04. James Terry is another talented senior linebacker and he is coming off a solid '06 campaign in which he posted 76 stops, 10.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks. Up front, junior tackle Mychal Savage is a load (300 pounds) and a solid tackler (54). He also has enough quickness to get into the backfield, as evident by his 5.5 TFLs and three sacks in '06. As for the secondary, senior safety Dorian Chenault is the lone returning starter and he is a better tackler (68) than anything.
The Buckeyes were among the top scoring (34.6 ppg) teams in the nation last season, but the departure of several key players will make it hard to repeat that kind of success. OSU is set to break in a new quarterback, but replacing last year's Heisman winner Troy Smith will be no easy task. Trying to fill those shoes will be junior Todd Boeckman, who has good size (6-5), quick feet and a solid arm. Boeckman however, threw just three passes last season and he will have to find a new top target, as both Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez departed for the NFL this offseason. Junior Brian Robiskie finished third on the team in catches (29) last season and he should easily improve on that number as the go-to-guy this year. In the backfield, OSU will turn to sophomore Chris Wells to replace Antonio Pittman, who rushed for 1,233 yards and 14 scores last season. As Pittman's backup last season, Wells rushed for 576 yards and seven scores behind a 5.5 ypc average. Wells should contend for a 1000-yard campaign thanks to the return of three starters on an offensive line that paved the way for 169.9 rushing ypg in '06.
Defensively, the Buckeyes were outstanding last season, allowing a mere 12.8 ppg and just 280.5 total ypg. The unit lost several key players on the line and in the secondary, but the linebacker corps should be even better. Junior linebacker James Laurinaitis is clearly the highlight of this defense and he is coming off a tremendous season in which he was the recipient of the Nagurski Award after notching a team-high 115 tackles. Laurinaitis was also a factor in coverage, posting five interceptions. On the defensive line, junior end Vernon Gholston is welcomed back as a starter. Gholston has good quickness and moves to get into the backfield and he led the Buckeyes with 8.5 sacks and 15.0 TFLs last season. As for the secondary, it is pretty young and opposing teams will surely try to take advantage of that. Junior corner Malcolm Jenkins is the most talented and experienced player back there and he is coming off a season in which he recorded four interceptions and 55 tackles.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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