Find It Fast: This Week At OSU 2... Recruiting Update 3... Buckeye Update 4... Bowl Schedule 5 Back To The Bayou Buckeyes To Face Arkansas In 2011 Sugar Bowl
2 BSB Quickly Dec. 7, 2010 This Week At OSU Tressel s Pitch Helps Send Buckeyes To New Orleans Quickly Dec. 7, 2010 Publisher... Frank Moskowitz Asst. Publisher... Becky Roberts Managing Editor...Mark Rea Staff Writers Adam Jardy Marcus Hartman Jeff Svoboda Designer/Staff Writer Matthew Hager Photographers Sonny Brockway Kevin Dye Josh Winslow Editorial Office Columbus Sports Publications 1350 W. Fifth Ave., Suite 30 P.O. Box 12453 Columbus, Ohio 43212 (614) 486-2202 (800) 760-2862 On The Cover: The Superdome in New Orleans will be the scene Jan. 4 when Ohio State faces Arkansas in the 77th edition of the Sugar Bowl. (File photo) Check Out Our Premium Website www.buckeyesports.com The next print edition of Buckeye Sports Bulletin (December cover date) will be mailed Dec. 16. By Adam Jardy Jim Tressel has been a football coach for 35 years, but as soon as Ohio State s regular season ended, Tressel switched to a different kind of vocation. With the Buckeyes aiming to secure a sixth consecutive berth in a Bowl Championship Series game, the team s head coach spent some time serving as a pitchman for his program. A wizard s hat and snake oil proved not to be necessary, however, as OSU was awarded what had been rumored for more than a week a berth in the Sugar Bowl with a Jan. 4 contest against Arkansas. It will be the first-ever matchup between the Buckeyes and Razorbacks. Speaking with reporters inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center as the bowl pairings were announced Dec. 5, Tressel confirmed that he had done some lobbying on behalf of his 2010 Big Ten co-champions who finished the season with an 11-1 record. I think it was important that they knew we were fired up about the thought of playing in the Sugar Bowl (and) spending a week in New Orleans, Tressel said. I know our kids were. The maneuvering was made necessary by the fact that OSU was one of three Big Ten teams to finish the season tied atop the league standings. Wisconsin was awarded the conference s automatic bid to the Rose Bowl by virtue of holding the highest BCS rating among Big Ten schools, leaving the Buckeyes and Michigan State to duke it out for the conference s other potential BCS bid. The entire Michigan State operation basically put together a marketing plan and a sales pitch that was really nothing short of outstanding, said Paul Hoolahan, executive director of the Sugar Bowl. My hat s off to them. They really made a very convincing appeal. Not convincing enough, however, to earn the Spartans the chance to be selected to the bowl ahead of the Buckeyes. In the final BCS standings, Wisconsin came in at No. 5 with OSU one spot behind in sixth and MSU at No. 9. The Badgers earned their Rose Bowl berth and will take on unbeaten TCU, while the Spartans will face Alabama on New Year s Day as part of the Capital One Bowl. Tressel said the Buckeyes are an attractive candidate for any bowl thanks to two key reasons an impressive win-loss record and a fan base known for traveling in large numbers. The thing I think every bowl knows about Ohio State is that our folks could go to 50 bowls in a row and they d still be excited about going to a bowl game, the coach said. Whether it was BCS games or non-bcs games, since I ve been here we ve had a tremendous following. Hoolahan added that the Sugar Bowl already had a familiarity level with the Buckeyes that it did not have with the Spartans. Part of that stemmed from OSU traveling to New Orleans three seasons ago for the BCS National Championship Game. Also, this will mark the Buckeyes eighth BCS game. The Spartans, meanwhile, have never played in a BCS game. If history shows anything, No. 6 OSU might have an advantage heading into this contest. The Buckeyes boast a 1-2 record in the Sugar Bowl with the lone win coming while they were rated higher than their opponent. That came at the end of the 1998 season when third-ranked OSU earned a 24-14 victory against No. 8 Texas A&M. Arkansas is ranked eighth in the BCS, two spots behind the Buckeyes. The Razorbacks sit third in the nation with an average of 338.4 passing yards per contest, an attack that powered them to a 10-2 overall record and a second-place finish in the SEC West. Whichever team emerges victorious will be making history. Ohio State is 0-9 against SEC teams in bowl contests while Arkansas is winless in three bowl games vs. Big Ten foes. The Buckeyes will return to practice Dec. 9 after finishing with final exams. They will practice until Dec. 21 and the players will be off until Dec. 26 when they will be required to return to campus. OSU will then practice in Columbus until the 29th and begin practice in New Orleans the following day. In injury news, Tressel said he believes freshman defensive back Christian Bryant could be available for bowl preparations after missing the final five games of the season with a foot infection and subsequent surgery.
Recruiting Update Dec. 7, 2010 BSB Quickly 3 Jacoby Becomes Latest Boren To Pick Buckeyes By Adam Jardy Ohio State landed its fifth verbal commitment for the class of 2012 when Jacoby Boren decided to become the third member of his family to play for the Buckeyes. Boren, a three-star offensive guard from Pickerington (Ohio) Central, gave his pledge Dec. 4 in person to head coach Jim Tressel. My family went with me, which was pretty cool, Boren told BuckeyeSports. com recruiting analyst Bill Greene. I had known for a while I was going to commit, so we went over there and had a pretty long meeting with Coach Tressel. Boren s father, Mike, played football for Michigan from 1980-83 and his mother, Hope, ran track for the Wolverines. His oldest brother, Justin, is a senior starter at left guard for the Buckeyes after transferring from U-M following the 2007 season, and middle brother Zach is a sophomore starter at fullback at OSU. (Coach Tressel) was pretty excited about it, although I don t think he could have been too surprised, the youngest Boren said. It was nice having my mom and dad with me and they were real excited. My mom got a little emotional, and my brother Zach stopped in to be with us, which was neat. Everyone was happy to see I got it over with and that I would be going to a great school. Listed at 6-3, 273 pounds, Boren is projected to be either a guard or center for the Buckeyes. Although he had been hearing from a number of other schools, OSU was the only one known to have issued Boren a scholarship offer. In the end, he said there was no other place for him. It was never for sure that I would go to Ohio State once they offered, but I never really looked at anyone else, he said. Having had two brothers play for Ohio State gives me an advantage in knowing how they do things and how classy the program is. When Jacoby reports to campus, Zach will be a senior. I plan on working my tail off and trying to live up to what my brothers are doing at Ohio State, Jacoby said. I know in my heart that I couldn t have picked a better school. 2011 OSU Verbal Commitments Name Pos Ht/Wt Stars School Michael Bennett DL 6-3/275 Centerville, Ohio Brian Bobek C 6-2½/278 Palatine (Ill.) Fremd Tommy Brown OT 6-5/300 Akron Firestone Chris Carter OG 6-4/325 Cleveland John F. Kennedy Conner Crowell LB 6-1/219 Waldorf (Md.) North Point Jeremy Cash S 6-2/190 Plantation, Fla. Chase Farris DT 6-6/270 Elyria, Ohio DerJuan Gambrell CB 6-2/180 Toledo Rogers Joel Hale DT 6-5/295 Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove Ken Hayes DE 6-5/255 Toledo Whitmer Jeff Heuerman TE 6-5/230 Naples (Fla.) Barron Collier Braxton Miller QB 6-3½/199 Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne Steve Miller DE 6-4/230 Canton (Ohio) McKinley Devin Smith WR 6-1/175 Massillon (Ohio) Washington Evan Spencer WR 6-1/185 Vernon Hills, Ill. Ron Tanner S 6-1/190 Columbus Eastmoor Antonio Underwood OG 6-3/295 Shaker Heights, Ohio Nick Vannett TE 6-6/230 Westerville (Ohio) Central 2012 OSU Verbal Commitments Name Pos Ht/Wt Stars School Warren Ball RB 6-2/200 Columbus DeSales Jacoby Boren OG 6-2/273 Pickerington (Ohio) Central Bri onte Dunn RB 6-1/215 Canton (Ohio) GlenOak Kyle Kalis OT 6-5/305 Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward Joshua Perry OLB 6-3/225 Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy JUCO Star To Visit Ohio State will graduate three starting defensive backs after this season, and in an effort to shore up the depth chart in the secondary the Buckeyes have apparently issued a scholarship offer to four-star safety prospect Byron Moore from Los Angeles Harbor College, a junior college in Wilmington, Calif. The 6-1, 205-pound Moore is scheduled to take an official visit to OSU during the weekend of Dec. 17, and the Buckeyes are on a list under consideration that also includes Tennessee, Mississippi, Oregon State, LSU, UCLA and Washington. The Volunteers got Moore s first official visit, which took place during the weekend of Dec. 3. He is likely to visit Ole Miss during the Dec. 10-11 weekend with January visits tentatively planned for Washington and Oregon State. However, one of those final two visits could get bumped in favor of a trip to LSU. Initially a four-star prospect from Harbor City (Calif.) Nathaniel Narbonne, Moore signed with USC and played one season before leaving the program. Still Hoping For Offer Now that he has a third consecutive Division V state title under his belt not to mention being named 2010 Ohio Mr. Football Akise Teague can turn his attention to recruiting. The 5-10, 178-pound wide receiver from Youngstown Ursuline has set up three official visits Wisconsin, Penn State and Cincinnati, although the Nittany Lions have not offered. The trip to UW will be during the Dec. 10-11 weekend, while the other two visits have yet to be scheduled. One trip that Teague is still hoping to make is to Columbus to see the Buckeyes should they decide to offer him a scholarship. I love Ohio State and they re a great team, Teague said. I m hoping for an offer from them but there are no guarantees. I just know with the three visits I have set up that I m going to end up at a great school and that feels great. Tressel was on hand to see Teague carry the ball 19 times for 249 yards and catch four passes for 94 yards in his team s 51-21 victory Dec. 4 against Coldwater in the Division V state title game.
4 BSB Quickly Dec. 7, 2010 Buckeye Update Freshman Leading Way For Men s Basketball Team One month into the 2010-11 season, the Ohio State men s basketball team is showing why it had the highest-rated freshman class in the Big Ten according to Scout. com. For the third time in four weeks, freshman forward Jared Sullinger was named the Big Ten s freshman of the week for his efforts in OSU s 58-44 road victory Nov. 30 against Florida State as part of the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge. The 6-9 Sullinger recorded 13 rebounds and 11 points in the win, marking his third career double-double in six contests. The only other player to win the honor this season is OSU forward Deshaun Thomas. Three players scored in double figures for the Buckeyes (6-0) in the win against the Seminoles (5-2). Senior guard Jon Diebler had 12 points despite a 3-for-12 shooting night that included a 2-for-10 effort from three-point range while Sullinger and senior David Lighty added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Before the game, head coach Thad Matta pointed to rebounding as one key factor that would determine a winner. Ohio State finished with a 42-33 advantage on the glass including a 17-7 advantage on the offensive end. As a result, OSU finished with 15 second-chance points compared to four from the Seminoles. After having a nine-day layoff, the Buckeyes return to action Dec. 9 for a 7 p.m. home contest with IUPUI. Women s Basketball Stays Perfect In Early Going The Ohio State women s basketball team improved to 7-0 with a pair of wins while representing the Big Ten in challenges against the ACC and Big 12. Not surprisingly, Jantel Lavender was the driving force in both victories. The senior center scored 23 points as the Buckeyes beat Virginia on Dec. 2 then followed that with a 32-point outburst three days later as No. 6 Ohio State downed No. 11 Oklahoma. For her efforts, Lavender was named the Big Ten s co-player of the Week. The Big Ten lost its annual challenge with the ACC, six wins to five, but prevailed in the first Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge with seven wins and four losses with one game yet to be played. Ohio State picked up its first win in the ACC/Big Ten Women s Basketball Challenge in emphatic fashion when the sixth-ranked Buckeyes routed visiting Virginia by a 74-46 count at St. John Arena. In front of 2,392 fans, Lavender led all scorers with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Her eighth and final carom of the first half was the 1,116th of her career, setting a new Ohio State career record and breaking the old mark held by Tracey Hall since 1988. Brittany Johnson added 14 points and Samantha Prahalis had 12 for Ohio State while Simone Eqwu led Virginia with 11 points and Lexie Gerson had 10. The Cavaliers (4-4) faced a ranked team for the fourth game in a row and fell to 1-3 in those contests. The game was staged at St. John Arena in anticipation of Ohio State hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament in March. A host school must play at least one game at the tournament site during the regular season. Three days after routing Virginia, the Buckeyes passed their first test against a ranked team this season by downing the Sooners, 95-84. In front of a season-high crowd of 4,746 fans at Value City Arena in Columbus, all five starters hit double figures in scoring, helping offset a huge night by one Sooner freshman. At the end of the game we did the things we needed to do at both ends of the floor, said OSU head coach Jim Foster, who coached his 1,000th college game. I thought we took care of the ball, got some timely rebounds and found the right people and made good decisions. At the other end of the floor, we were much better at identifying and making their shots more difficult. After a closely contested opening 29 minutes, the Buckeyes dominated the last 11 to pull away. Their lead peaked at 15 when guard Tayler Hill made a free throw to make it 93-78 with 0:52 on the clock. Johnson scored 18 points for Ohio State while Hill had 16 and Sara Schulze posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Aaryn Ellenberg led Oklahoma with 34 points. Hockey Splits Two With Visiting U-M The men s hockey team played a pair of nail-biters Dec. 3-4 in Value City Arena against No. 11 Michigan, winning the first game by a 3-2 score in overtime before falling, 2-1, in the rematch. We did a lot of good things, head coach Mark Osiecki said. I think (our last) four games we ve played very well. We really have. In the opening game, John Albert gave OSU a 1-0 lead in the second period before Michigan replied with a pair of goals. The Buckeyes were able to equalize with 10.4 seconds left in regulation, though, when Sergio Somma buried a rebound off a faceoff with the goalie pulled. Ohio State sent the 5,454 fans home happy with the winner 1:43 into overtime when Alex Szczechura took a pass from Peter Boyd in the slot and quickly shot past U-M goaltender Shawn Hunwick. I just put it on net and it went in, the freshman said of his fifth goal and third game winner. I kind of just got it off. I wasn t aiming too much. I was just trying to get it on net because there were a lot of guys on me. Szczechura scored in the second period of the second game to give OSU a 1-0 lead, but the Buckeyes couldn t hold it. Luke Glendening tied the score 6:02 into the third when his shot from the right-wing boards took an awkward bounce past Cal Heeter, who was otherwise excellent with 46 saves. Michigan s David Wohlberg then potted the winner with 5:24 to play when he scored on a wraparound. Women s Soccer Falls In NCAA Semifinal Match The women s soccer team s historic run to the Women s College Cup ended in an NCAA semifinal Dec. 3 when Notre Dame beat the Buckeyes, 1-0, in Cary, N.C. The College Cup competition is college soccer s version of the Final Four. I m so proud of the squad and the season they ve had and the things this team and this program have accomplished, head coach Lori Walker said after OSU s first College Cup appearance. We always talk about extending the season as long as we can until you run into a great opponent, and I think Notre Dame handed us some things tonight that were very difficult for us to sort through. Notre Dame dominated the second half and finally scored with 7:38 to play when Mandy Laddish raced down middle of the field and scored into the upper left corner from 20 yards out. Goaltender Katie Baumgardner made 10 saves for OSU, while Paige Maxwell hit the post for the Buckeyes with less than two minutes to play.
BIG TEN BOWLS FULL BOWL SCHEDULE Day, Date Time (ET) TV Bowl Matchup Site Sat., Dec. 18 2 p.m. ESPN New Mexico BYU vs. UTEP Albuquerque, N.M. Sat., Dec. 18 5:30 p.m. ESPN UDrove Humanitarian Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois Boise, Idaho Sat., Dec. 18 9 p.m. ESPN R+L Carriers New Orleans Ohio vs. Troy New Orleans Tue., Dec. 21 8 p.m. ESPN Beef O Brady s St. Petersburg Louisville vs. Southern Miss St. Petersburg, Fla. Wed., Dec. 22 8 p.m. ESPN Maaco Las Vegas Boise State vs. Utah Las Vegas Thu., Dec. 23 8 p.m. ESPN San Diego Co. Credit Union Poinsettia Navy vs. San Diego State San Diego Fri., Dec. 24 8 p.m. ESPN Sheraton Hawaii Hawaii vs. Tulsa Honolulu Sun., Dec. 26 8:30 p.m. ESPN Little Caesars Pizza FIU vs. Toledo Detroit Mon., Dec. 27 5 p.m. ESPN2 AdvoCare V100 Independence Air Force vs. Georgia Tech Shreveport, La. Tue., Dec. 28 6:30 p.m. ESPN Champs Sports N.C. State vs. West Virginia Orlando, Fla. Tue., Dec. 28 10 p.m. ESPN Insight Iowa vs. Missouri Tempe, Ariz. Wed., Dec. 29 2:30 p.m. ESPN Military East Carolina vs. Maryland Washington, D.C. Wed., Dec. 29 6 p.m. ESPN Texas Baylor vs. Illinois Houston Wed., Dec. 29 9:15 p.m. ESPN Valero Alamo Arizona vs. Oklahoma State San Antonio Thu., Dec. 30 Noon ESPN Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Army vs. SMU Fort Worth, Texas Thu., Dec. 30 3:20 p.m. ESPN New Era Pinstripe Kansas State vs. Syracuse New York Thu., Dec. 30 6:40 p.m. ESPN Franklin American Mortgage Music City North Carolina vs. Tennessee Nashville, Tenn. Thu., Dec. 30 10 p.m. ESPN Bridgepoint Education Holiday Nebraska vs. Washington San Diego Fri., Dec. 31 Noon ESPN Meineke Car Care Clemson vs. USF Charlotte, N.C. Fri., Dec. 31 2 p.m. CBS Hyundai Sun Miami vs. Notre Dame El Paso, Texas Fri., Dec. 31 3:30 p.m. ESPN AutoZone Liberty Georgia vs. UCF Memphis, Tenn. Fri., Dec. 31 7:30 p.m. ESPN Chick-fil-A Florida State vs. South Carolina Atlanta Sat., Jan. 1 Noon ESPNU TicketCity Northwestern vs. Texas Tech Dallas Sat., Jan. 1 1 p.m. ESPN Capital One Alabama vs. Michigan State Orlando, Fla. Sat., Jan. 1 1 p.m. ABC Outback Florida vs. Penn State Tampa, Fla. Sat., Jan. 1 1:30 p.m. ESPN2 Gator Michigan vs. Mississippi State Jacksonville, Fla. Sat., Jan. 1 4:30 p.m. ESPN Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO TCU vs. Wisconsin Pasadena, Calif. Sat., Jan. 1 8:30 p.m. ESPN Tostitos Fiesta Connecticut vs. Oklahoma Glendale, Ariz. Mon., Jan. 3 8 p.m. ESPN Discover Orange Stanford vs. Virginia Tech Miami Tue., Jan. 4 8 p.m. ESPN Allstate Sugar Arkansas vs. Ohio State New Orleans Thu., Jan. 6 8 p.m. ESPN GoDaddy.com Miami (Ohio) vs. Middle Tennessee Mobile, Ala. Fri., Jan. 7 8 p.m. FOX AT&T Cotton LSU vs. Texas A&M Arlington, Texas Sat., Jan. 8 Noon ESPN BBVA Compass Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh Birmingham, Ala. Sun., Jan. 9 9 p.m. ESPN Kraft Fight Hunger Boston College vs. Nevada San Francisco Mon., Jan. 10 8 p.m. ESPN Tostitos BCS Championship Game Auburn vs. Oregon Glendale, Ariz.