For three months they were legends. Then in three hours they became bums.
An incomprehensible 41-14 loss to Florida in the BCS title game was all it took.
“It’s a game you’ll remember for the rest of your life,” linebacker Marcus Freeman said.
Freeman doesn’t want the memory to fade. He said he has watched an entire replay of the game at least 10 times: “I have it on tape at my house. You learn so much.”
One play that still stings Freeman: He tried to jam tight end Cornelius Ingram but didn’t knock him off his route. Chris Leak then zipped a pass “right behind my head,” he recalled.
Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel appreciates his players’ thirst to improve, but he won’t punish them by making them watch the game over and over.
“Will we get them all in a room on Aug. 5 and say: ‘Remember this?’ No,” Tressel said last week at Big Ten media day. “You better be focused on what’s ahead of you. The 2007 teams [we play] don’t care about that game.”
The Buckeyes will contend for a Big Ten title if … New quarterback Todd Boeckman is better than expected. Boeckman is an odd combination: He’s old but inexperienced. The small-town Ohio native turned 23 in June but has thrown only 10 college passes. First he delayed his enrollment to create class separation from Troy Smith, then he redshirted, then he backed up Smith and Justin Zwick for two seasons. Boeckman is a giant at 6 feet 5 inches and 235 pounds but was merely OK in spring drills, making few big plays and few mistakes.
The Buckeyes will drive Tressel nuts if … The ground game doesn’t rank among the Big Ten’s best. The Buckeyes return only four starters on offense: tackles Alex Boone and Kirk Barton, guard Steve Rehring and tight end Rory Nicol. Add Chris “Beanie” Wells to the mix, and you have the makings of a monster rushing attack. Beanie earned his nickname for being a string bean-like baby, but at 6-1, 230, he has the power-speed combo that every running back coach craves.
The Buckeyes’ indispensable players are … Wells, linebacker James Laurinaitis and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. As a sophomore, Laurinaitis won the Nagurski Award, made first team All-Big Ten, led Ohio State with 115 tackles, picked off five passes and added four sacks. Jenkins, who has run a 4.3 40-yard dash, ranks among the nation’s top three corners.
The schedule can be described as … ego building. This is the perfect schedule for a team that lost 13 starters, including the Heisman Trophy winner (Smith) and his top two targets (Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez). It’s a lousy schedule, however, if you’re a fan. The non-conference opponents are Youngstown State, Akron, Washington and Kent State. The first four Big Ten foes are Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue and Minnesota. The Buckeyes easily could be an unproven 8-0 before closing with Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan.
Last season’s defining moment was … Ginn injuring his left foot celebrating a touchdown during the BCS title game. Ginn returned the opening kick 93 yards — and then was tackled by teammate Roy Hall. Ginn was never the same. Nor were the Buckeyes.
This season will be considered a success if … the Buckeyes go 11-1, beat Michigan and reach yet another BCS bowl game. Hey, Ohio State doesn’t have rebuilding years. “I don’t feel any comfort when people say: ‘Oh, this is great. We’re under the radar and not [ranked] No. 1,'” Tressel said. “We have to prove it every day at Ohio State.”
Buckeyes at a glance
Coach: Jim Tressel, seventh season
Coordinators: Jim Bollman, offense; Jim Heacock, defense
Ohio Stadium, Columbus, FieldTurf
Avg. att (capacity): 105,096 (101,568)
%% D OPPONENT SERIES
S1 Youngstown St., 11 1st game
S8 Akron, 11 5-1
S15 at Washington, 2:30 7-3
S22 Northwestern, TBA 57-14-1
S29 at Minnesota, 7 39-7
O6 at Purdue, 7 35-12-2
O13 Kent State, TBA 1-0
O20 Michigan St., 2:30 25-12
O27 at Penn State, 7 11-11
N3 Wisconsin, TBA 50-17-5
N10 Illinois, TBA 60-29-4
N17 at Michigan, TBA 40-57-6 %%
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tgreenstein@tribune.com
