Staying BusyStaying BusyStaying BusyBuckeyes Spend Open Week Working On Th emselvesBuckeyes Spend Open Week Working On Th emselves

Oct. 24, 2011Oct. 24, 2011

not going to scrap something and come up with something new every other week. That’s the way we feel. We’re going to get better at what we do.”

The passing game was one of the main things Ohio State probably tried to work on. The Buckeyes completed only one pass in the 17-7 win against Illinois and have struggled with their passing attack throughout most of the season.

“You’ve got to attempt some more and you’ve got to throw some more to

get better at it,” Fickell said. “Those are all things we know we’ve got to work on. That’s why we were out there (prac-ticing every day).

“But that’s not the only thing we have to work on.”

Fickell also addressed the occasional wobbly passes thrown by freshman quar-terback Braxton Miller. His touchdown pass to junior tight

end Jake Stoneburner at Illinois was picture-perfect, but several other times during the season Miller’s passes have fluttered in the air.

Fickell joked that the coaching staff would try to stretch Miller’s hand out and “see if he can get a bigger hand and get a better grip on the football” before

By Matthew Hager

The Ohio State football team did not have a game Oct. 22 but that didn’t mean the Buckeyes took their open week off.

Head coach Luke Fickell’s squad spent the time healing and working on fundamentals. Fickell met with the media Oct. 18, and while he admitted that he was not a big fan of open weeks, he said he going to have the Buckeyes look inward as they came off their big-gest win of the season Oct. 15 against then-No. 16 Illinois.

While the players worked on themselves, Fickell said the coaching staff was going to “get a jump on some things” in terms of the Oct. 29 game vs. No. 12 Wisconsin. With that extra time, don’t think Ohio State (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) drastically changed things on offense or defense.

“You can’t overdo it,” Fickell said. “You can’t think you’re going to reinvent the wheel in an extra week. You have to get better at what you do.

“Yes, we know there are a lot of things we can get better at. The sign of a good program and a good team is they keep building on what they’ve got. They’re

2 BSB Quickly Oct. 24, 2011 This Week At OSU

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Oct. 24, 2011

Week Off Does Not Equal Time Off For Ohio State

SONNY BROCKWAYNO BIG CHANGES – Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell (right), seen here with Illinois counterpart Ron Zook (left), said he will not drastically alter OSU’s offense or defense ahead of the Buckeyes’ Oct. 29 game against No. 12 Wisconsin.

Braxton Miller

Fickell added that understands the frustrations, however.

“These guys are competi-tors, and when you’re a com-petitor and you want to be out there, that’s a part of it,” he said. “If you didn’t want to be out there, you’d be more wor-ried about the guy. But how you handle situations and how you react is every bit as impor-tant as the situation itself.”

Smith Settles In At LBRedshirt freshman Rod Smith

warmed up with the linebackers before the Illinois game, and Fickell confirmed that Smith had switched to that posi-tion from tailback – for now at least. Smith saw some time at tailback in the first few games of the season but lost two fumbles. He also fell behind junior Jordan Hall and sophomore Carlos Hyde on the depth chart.

“We’re looking at what’s best for this

reminding reporters that Miller was a good passer at Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne.

“He throws a good football,” Fickell said. “He really does. I think that comes down to patience and being relaxed and getting more used to what you do. You can throw on the film, whether it’s high school or whether it’s (with Ohio State). He throws a good football. He’s getting better and he’s going to continue to get better.”

Sticking with the quarterbacks, the battle between fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman and sophomore Kenny Guiton continued during the open week. When asked who the No. 2 quarterback would be if there had been a game on the open week, Fickell said Guiton “probably (had) taken a few more reps” than Bauserman prior to the Illinois game.

Twitter TroublesFickell was asked about his team’s

policy on the use of social network-ing website Twitter during his 12-min-ute press conference. The subject was broached because of tweets from sopho-more tailback Carlos Hyde and redshirt freshman wide receiver T.Y. Williams after the Illinois game. Both Buckeyes took to the social network to complain about their playing time – or lack there-of. Hyde did not see the field until the fourth quarter against the Illini a week after rushing for more than 100 yards at Nebraska. Williams has seen limited

time and has not caught a pass since the Sept. 24 game vs. Colorado.

“We ask those guys to be smart about what they do,” Fickell said of his team’s policy on Twitter use. “They represent this pro-gram, this team and

this university. It’s all about this team and not about individual things. We make sure we communicate with them about what we like and what we don’t like.”

When asked whether he had to recently remind players about that pol-icy, Fickell said the coaching staff talks about it every day.

“Nothing goes unseen,” the OSU head coach said. “It’s a pretty constant thing that we talk about.”

Oct. 24, 2011 BSB Quickly 3This Week At OSU

team right now,” Fickell said, “and Rod jumped over and is playing a little bit of defense because he knows he might be doing even more on special teams.”

Smith covered kickoffs against Illinois. If he was to see the field on defense, Smith would have to change num-bers. He currently wears No. 2, the same number as sopho-more starting safety Christian Bryant.

Quick Injury UpdatesMiller played the entire game against

Illinois after suffering a right ankle inju-ry against Nebraska, and when asked how his quarterback was doing a few days after the game, Fickell said Miller was no worse for the wear. Junior cor-nerback Travis Howard twisted an ankle against the Illini, but Fickell said Howard was fine and would be available against Wisconsin.

SONNY BROCKWAYVENTING – Ohio State sophomore tailback Carlos Hyde (34) took to social network-ing website Twitter to voice his frustration with his lack of playing time Oct. 15 at Illinois.

T.Y. Williams

Rod Smith

The Lantern, the OSU student newspa-per, quoted a report from the Columbus Police Department that stated a 21-year-old non-OSU student was “struck in the face with a closed fist.” The incident occurred Oct. 21 at 2:20 a.m. in Columbus on Vine Street behind North Market.

The report stated Berry was with another male and was allegedly yell-ing at the victim and his friend after the victim was struck by a car. The victim, whose name was not published, claimed Berry and his friend were yell-ing vulgar remarks at him. After asking why they were yelling, the victim said Berry crossed the street and punched his friend and then punched him in the face.

Berry was allegedly later identified by a witness, and the alleged victim said he confirmed Berry’s identity when shown a picture by police.

The victim’s mother, who request-ed anonymity, said she spoke with OSU athletic director Gene Smith about the incident later on Oct. 21 and

Smith told The Lantern he was aware Berry might have been involved in an altercation.

“We have not been informed by any-one else that charges have been filed,” Smith said Oct. 24. “If Jaamal is charged, he will be suspended pending the out-come of the case.”

A police report was not immediate-ly available on the Columbus Police Department website.

If the allegations are true, it would be the second time in a month Berry had been involved in an altercation. He was involved in an on-campus incident with another student Sept. 28. He was admit-ted and released from OSU Medical Center and no charges were filed.

Buckeye-Badger Battle Not Only Attraction Saturday

Ohio State has a number of things planned for its Oct. 29 clash with No. 12 Wisconsin.

The game is part of the 90th home-coming in school history, and the uni-versity has asked that fans dress in

Berry Reported SuspectIn Alleged Assault

Shortly before this electronic issue of BSB was posted online, Ohio State soph-omore tailback Jaamal Berry was report-edly a suspect in an alleged assault that occurred Oct. 21.

4 BSB Quickly Oct. 24, 2011 Insider

INSIDER

JOSH WINSLOWMORE TROUBLE? – Ohio State sophomore tailback Jaamal Berry (left) was reportedly involved in an alleged assault Oct. 21 in Columbus.

Oct. 24, 2011 BSB Quickly 5Insider

Pro Combat line of dress. The Buckeyes donned uniforms resembling the 1954 and 1942 national championship teams in wins over Michigan in 2009 and ’10, respectively.

Star Tailback GeorgeTo Be Recognized

Additionally at the OSU-Wisconsin game, former Ohio State tailback Eddie George, the 1995 Heisman Trophy win-ner, will be honored at halftime for his pending induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He will be the 23rd former Buckeye player to join that select group when he is enshrined next summer in South Bend, Ind.

The Philadelphia native, who will be part of the Westwood One national radio broadcast team calling the game against the Badgers, remains Ohio State’s No. 2 all-time leading rusher behind only two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin.

George totaled 3,768 yards from 1992-95, including a school-record 1,927 during his senior season. That year he became Ohio State’s fifth Heisman Trophy winner and also brought home the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Walter Camp national awards as well as the Big Ten’s Silver Football.

“It was a special time in my life to be able to wear that uniform and to put on that helmet on every Saturday, and to play in front of 100,000 people was just a dream for me,” George said in comments distributed by the university. “This is a tremendous feeling to be inducted as a Buckeye.”

He also set the school’s single-game rushing record with 314 yards against Illinois in 1995 before going on to a nine-year NFL career spent mostly with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise.

George received a degree in land-scape architecture from Ohio State in 2001 through the school’s degree com-pletion program. Later that year, his No. 27 jersey was retired by the athletic department. In 2006, he was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.

He lives with his wife, Taj, in Tennessee with their two sons, Eriq and Jaire.

Fickell Contract Finally Finalized

Luke Fickell was named Ohio State’s

23rd head football coach May 30, but his contract was not finalized until the regular season was more than half com-plete. He formally signed his one-year deal Oct. 19.

Per terms of the deal, Fickell is being paid $775,000 to coach his alma mater through Jan. 31. The school previously disclosed his compensation when he took over for Jim Tressel, who was forced to retire May 30 after admitting to violating his contract by withholding knowledge of potential NCAA violations involving his players.

The school also made clear at that time and in subsequent statements its intention to perform a national search for a new head coach after the 2011 season.

That was repeated in the language of Fickell’s contract, which reads, “This agreement is renewable solely upon an offer from Ohio State and an acceptance by coach. … This agreement in no way grants coach a claim to tenure in employment.”

Fickell’s compensation includes a base salary of $400,000 as well as $200,000 for media obligations and $175,000 as part of a deal between the school and Nike. He can also earn bonuses for team achievements, including leading

scarlet for the game to create a unified look throughout the stadium.

The last so-called “Scarlet Out” was declared prior to the Sept. 12, 2009, game against USC, which the Trojans won 18-15.

The school also is planning to honor the 1961 football team that went 8-0-1, won the Big Ten title and was named national champion by the Football Writers Association of America. Members of the squad will be in town for the team’s 50th reunion and will be recognized on the field during the game.

The team itself will also pay tribute to the ’61 team by wearing uniforms patterned after the ones those Buckeyes wore. The look will feature a steel-gray helmet with a deep scarlet stripe that is wide at the front and tapers off at the back of the helmet, mimicking a foam rubber strip the ’61 Buckeyes wore at the behest of head coach Woody Hayes, who believed it would help guard against head injuries.

Additionally, player numbers will be on the sides of the helmets. Jerseys will be scarlet with distinctive white letter-ing while the pants and socks will be dark gray. The undershirts and gloves the players will wear will feature a print meant to resemble a Buckeye tree. That is a nod to the Buckeye Grove, home to a collection of buckeye trees planted in honor of each first team All-American in school history. That includes full-back Bob Ferguson, who rushed for 938 yards as the primary weapon of the 1961 team.

This is the third year Ohio State has worn a “tribute” uniform as part of Nike’s

INSIDER

BSB 2011 Electronic Issue ScheduleJan. 4Jan. 14Jan. 18Jan. 21Jan. 28Feb. 1Feb. 4Feb. 15Feb. 22March 8March 22April 5April 19April 22May 3May 17May 31June 21

July 19Aug. 2Aug. 9Aug. 16Sept. 2Sept. 9Sept. 16Sept. 23Sept. 30Oct. 7Oct. 14Oct. 24Oct. 28Nov. 4Nov. 11Nov. 18Nov. 25Dec. 6

6 BSB Quickly Oct. 24, 2011 Insider

Stefanie Spielman

Illinois was also a good one for former teammate Kurt Coleman.

The second-year NFL safety had three interceptions for the Philadelphia Eagles as they defeated the Washington Redskins, 20-13, on Oct. 16. Coleman, who also had six tackles in the game, was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week two days later.

“I thank the Lord that I was able to make the plays, but my goal is to have three intercep-tions every game,” Coleman told reporters after the game. “I want to continue to build on that. This team needs to build on this and continue to get better and better. We will take this one game at a time. We know we have a long road to go but if we continue to play like we did today, things will start rolling our way.”

The breakthrough performance received considerable national attention because it helped snap a four-game los-ing streak for the Eagles and came at a particularly important time for Coleman. He had been benched the previous two games after struggling to start the season but returned to the starting lineup against the Redskins.

“It is tough,” he said. “I’m a competitor and I know what I am capable of doing out there, but the first three games I wasn’t getting it done and that was apparent. And I think it was a humbling experience. Now I have the opportunity to make the best of it.”

Coleman became the first Philadelphia player to grab three interceptions in a game since Joe Scarpati did it in 1966 during a 31-3 win over the Giants.

Hawk’s GestureDraws NFL’s Ire

Former Ohio State and current Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk was levied a $10,000 fine for an obscene gesture he made Oct. 16 during the Packers’ 24-3 win over St. Louis.

Hawk flashed a middle finger toward his own sideline after sacking Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, a gesture the linebacker claimed was an insider joke directed at his teammates.

The NFL didn’t find the one-finger salute funny and assessed the fine.

Hawk later apologized.“It was a joke and I kind of got caught

up in the emotion of the game,” he said. “I definitely apologize if any kids or anyone else saw it. I have a daughter myself, so I wouldn’t want her doing that. I got excited and I got caught up in the game. It was just, I guess, a bad joke. I definitely won’t do it again.”

Hawk played for the Buckeyes from 2002-05 and earned All-America honors as a junior and senior.

University Cancer Center To Bear Spielman Name

Ohio State president Dr. E. Gordon Gee announced Oct. 24 that The James Cancer Center’s Comprehensive Breast Center will be renamed for Stefanie Spielman, late wife of former Buckeye linebacker Chris Spielman.

Stefanie Spielman died in 2009 after a lengthy battle with the disease, but not before helping raise more than $9 million for research and awareness for breast cancer.

Her husband was on hand when the new name was revealed.

“If you invest in the future of others, that investment is guaranteed to grow,” Chris Spielman said. “If you keep everything you have, all the services that you have, all the love, all the loyalty, all the good works within you, if you keep it, you lose it.”

According to the univer-sity, the Stefanie Spielman

Comprehensive Breast Center is the only one of its kind in the Midwest to offer the full continuum of breast cancer care, from prevention and screening through detec-tion, diagnosis and treatment. The center is home to some of the nation’s leading breast cancer researchers and physicians, all singularly focused on preventing, detect-ing, treating and curing breast cancer.

“First and foremost, Stefanie made a difference in the lives of countless patients and their families in the fight against cancer,” Gee said. “She touched those struggling with their diagnosis and treat-ments, helping to make their worlds more comfortable, more optimistic, and more affirmative. She possessed an uncom-mon combination of bravery, grace, and compassion that continues to resonate through her remarkable legacy.”

the Buckeyes to the Big Ten champion-ship game, winning it and appearing in a BCS bowl.

Tressel was to receive roughly $3.5 million in total compensation this season in a deal that ran through January 2015.

Defensive Lineman Receives Multiple Honors

Award selectors on the conference and national level took notice of John Simon’s role in Ohio State’s 17-7 win at Illinois on Oct. 15.

The junior defensive lineman was named Big Ten defensive player of the week and the Lott IMPACT player of the week after notching a career-high eight tackles, including four for loss and two sacks, against the Fighting Illini.

His tackle-for-loss total was one off the school record of five held by Andy Katzenmoyer (vs. Arizona State in 1996), Jayson Gwinn (vs. Indiana in 1993) and Judah Herman (vs. Iowa in 1991).

Simon’s selection broke a season-long drought for Big Ten player of the week awards for Ohio State.

“The thing about John is you know he’s going to be there working every single day to get better at what he does,” Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell said after the game.

In recognition of Simon’s performance, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, sponsors of the Lott IMPACT Trophy, will make a $1,000 donation to the gen-eral scholarship fund at Ohio State.

NFL Honors Former Ohio State Safety

The same weekend Simon starred at

INSIDERKurt Coleman

Oct. 24, 2011 BSB Quickly 7Football Recruiting

If Ohio State has already landed a com-mitment from Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy wide receiver Mike Thomas, the three-star prospect isn’t quite ready to make that decision public.

Despite Internet reports that sur-faced Oct. 18 indicating Thomas had committed to Ohio State – not to men-tion the endless rumors of a potential silent commitment – the wide receiver told BSB that he has yet to make up his mind.

Thomas, however, did acknowledge that Ohio State currently sits in good position to land his services, as the Buckeyes sit in his top three alongside

Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. The wide receiver will visit Ohio State on Oct. 29 when the Buckeyes host Wisconsin in a piv-otal Big Ten bout.

“I want to go somewhere I can come in and con-tribute right away

(and) that has top facilities where I can transform my game year in and year out,” Thomas told BSB. “Also some-where they pass the ball a good amount of time so I can show my talent. I also want to go to a place where I can get a good degree.”

Thomas, who played his high school football at Woodland Hills (Calif.) William Howard Taft, is enrolled at the Virginia-based military academy and is roommates with current Ohio State quarterback verbal Cardale Jones.

Ranked as the No. 98 wide receiver in Scout.com’s 2011 class, the 6-2, 180-pound Thomas said he’s become very close with Jones after rooming with him the past three months and has admitted the two have spoken about attending college together.

“He’s like a brother,” Thomas said. “Cardale is a great quarterback. I mean, any receiver wouldn’t mind

grown a lot in life from my time com-ing here.”

Keeping Up With PittmanSe’Von Pittman has never publicly

wavered on his commitment to Michigan State, even after an unofficial visit to Ohio State the weekend of Sept. 24 to see the Buckeyes host Colorado.

The four-star defensive end ranked as the 10th best play-er at his position in the 2012 class, however, has kept Ohio State’s coaching staff’s atten-tion in the month since he’s

been in Columbus. The 6-4, 260-pound defensive end

out of Canton McKinley is widely con-sidered to be one of the top prospects

in Ohio and the Buckeyes were in good position early to land his services.

But in light of Ohio State’s off the field situation with the NCAA, Pittman commit-ted to Michigan State with McKinley teammate Jermaine Edmondson.

Though many feel that Pittman’s recruitment is over, regional experts have main-

tained that the key for Ohio State get-ting back into the race for the coveted defensive end was to get him on cam-pus for an official visit.

After taking an official visit with Edmondson to Michigan State the

catching balls from him on Saturdays. The thing is he’s so natural – half the time it looks like he isn’t trying. We talk about (going to school with each other every day). He is my roommate and we’ve talked about every topic you could imagine.”

Rumors about a si lent commitment to Ohio State have taken to the Internet in the recent weeks, but Thomas said he hasn’t completed his recruit ing process . However , the wide receiver said he has no idea when he is visiting Notre Dame or Oklahoma State.

Having hooked up with Jones for touchdown receptions multiple times this season at Fork Union, Thomas said the adjustment to the life of being in military school was a harder transition than the one he had to make on the football field.

“The football part has never been a problem,” Thomas said. “It is just dif-ferent because (Jones and I) are used to being the go-to guys in high school, but Fork Union is a whole other sys-tem (because we share time).

“The military part on the other hand was a tough transition. I must admit it wasn’t what I expected at first, but we live and we learn so I just had to get my mind right and adjust. But I have

FUMA Wide Receiver Next Up For Buckeyes?

RECRUITING RECRUITING OUTLOOKOUTLOOK

Ari WassermanAri Wasserman

Washington, Stanford To Visit Ohio StateCincinnati Taft duo Adolphus

Washington and Dwayne Stanford were scheduled to take an official visit to Oregon the weekend of Oct. 29, but their plans to spend the weekend in Eugene changed.

“Dwayne and Adolphus will be vis-iting Ohio State next week instead of Oregon,” Washington’s father, Adolphus Sr., confirmed Oct. 22 to BuckeyeSports.com recruiting analyst Bill Greene.

Two of Ohio’s top targets, Washington and Stanford are scheduled to announce their college decisions Nov. 9, the day both are presented with their jerseys for

the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Both will play in the game set for Jan. 7 in San Antonio.

Washington, a 6-6, 240-pound, five-star defensive end regarded as one of the top prospects in the country, and Stanford, a 6-4, 195-pound four-star wide receiver, would greatly impact Ohio State’s 2012 recruiting class if they pledge to be Buckeyes.

“They are still planning to announce their college choices Nov. 9,” the elder Washington said, “and I don’t believe any other visits are planned other than next weekend.”

– Ari Wasserman

Mike Thomas

Se’Von Pittman

J. Edmondson

Oct. 24, 2011 BSB Quickly 9Football Recruiting

weekend of Oct. 15 to see the Spartans knock off their rival Michigan, Pittman wasn’t willing to slam the door on the potential of taking an official to Ohio State.

“Coach (Luke) Fickell calls me once in a while and we’re still talking,” Pittman said. “He is supposed to come to my school in the next week or so. I might take an official visit to Ohio State, but I’m not sure about that.

“Coach (Mark) Dantonio (of Michigan State) knows I just want to be sure of my decision, and he just wants me to let him know first before I take any visit to any other school.”

Noteworthy • The Ohio State coaching staff

hopes the Dayton area will produce another dual-threat quarterback simi-lar to current starter Braxton Miller as the program offered Kettering Alter signal caller Malik Zaire.

A 6-1, 190-pound junior, Zaire cur-rently boasts offers from Cincinnati, Wisconsin and Ohio State. He’s sched-uled to visit Ohio State the weekend of Oct. 29 when it hosts the Badgers.

“Ohio State always has playmakers and they always have a great team,” Zaire said. “I know they’re struggling now, but they’re doing better and they will get it together.”

• Despite being committed to Ohio State, Canton GlenOak running back Bri’onte Dunn could be wavering with archrival Michigan entering the picture.

BuckeyeSports.com recruiting ana-lyst Bill Greene said the final decision from the 6-1, 215-pound five-star run-ning back could go either way.

“I do see a Michigan official visit in his future and at that point all bets are off,” Greene said. “Dunn is probably a 50-50 proposition right now between Ohio State and Michigan and this could easily go either way.

“Although he is listed as an Ohio State commit, realistically this is a prospect that is up for grabs. Ohio State needs to recruit him like he is uncommitted and go after him hard. I guarantee the other side certainly is.”

OSU Verbal CommitmentsPlayers in the class of 2012 who have issued verbal commitments to play football

at Ohio State.

Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Stars High School

Warren Ball RB 6-2 200 Columbus DeSalesDe’Van Bogard S 6-1 175 Cleveland GlenvilleJacoby Boren OG 6-2 273 Pickerington (Ohio) CentralBri’onte Dunn RB 6-1 215 Canton (Ohio) GlenOakPatrick Elfl ein OG 6-3 270 Pickerington (Ohio) NorthFrank Epitropoulos WR 6-3 195 Upper Arlington, OhioCardale Jones QB 6-5 215 Fork Union (Va.) Military AcademyRoger Lewis WR 6-1 190 Pickerington (Ohio) CentralNajee Murray DB 5-11 172 Steubenville, OhioJoshua Perry OLB 6-3 225 Lewis Center (Ohio) OlentangyTyvis Powell S 6-3 180 Bedford, OhioLuke Roberts MLB 6-2 225 Lancaster, OhioBlake Thomas TE 6-4 240 Cleveland St. Ignatius

FILE PHOTOHEADING NORTH? – Canton GlenOak running back Bri’onte Dunn could come down to Ohio State or Michigan if he makes an official visit to Ann Arbor.

Luke Fickell

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Oct. 24, 2011 BSB Quickly 11Buckeye Briefs

In what is quickly becoming a com-mon theme, the Ohio State men’s hock-ey team split a weekend series, los-ing the first game Oct. 20 to Central Collegiate Hockey Association rival Michigan State before taking game two in East Lansing.

The two-game split was Ohio State’s third of the season in as many series.

Coming off a win at then-No. 2 Notre Dame the weekend before, the young Buckeyes couldn’t get things going in the opener, dropping a 3-0 final to the Spartans in their home opener in Munn Ice Arena.

“We felt like we were in mud,” OSU head coach Mark Osiecki said. “I thought State came out and did a good job of moving their feet. They played like a desperate hockey club playing at home coming off losing two games last weekend. We came off like we beat Notre Dame and I thought it was as simple as that.

“With a young team, it’s how you han-dle success. That’s our learning curve.”

The Spartans didn’t take long to get the winner. OSU freshman defenseman Justin DaSilva took a holding penalty 4:16 into the game, and 30 seconds later, captain Torey Krug’s shot from the center point beat Cal Heeter through a screen to make it 1-0.

Anthony Hayes scored from the right post to make it 2-0 at 15:15 of the second, and Trevor Nill made it a three-goal lead for the Spartans only 1:39 into the third as he redirected a pass into the net with his skate and video review showed it was a legal goal.

Heeter made 27 saves for the Buckeyes.The Buckeyes (3-3-0, 2-2-0-0) rebound-

ed a night later, playing a better game on the way to a 5-2 win.

“We’re looking for the consistency and that may be hard with having so many young kids playing,” Osiecki said. “It was a good team effort, especially after last night (when) things didn’t bounce our way. I thought State played a heck of a game last night and our response was pretty good.”

Sophomore Chris Crane scored twice and had an assist for the Buckeyes, while defensemen Devon Krogh and Ben Gallacher each had two helpers.

event for the second straight year. He paired with Matt Allare a season ago.

“It’s really important having it at home and winning at home,” Buchanan said. “I lost today to a guy from Michigan and I was extremely disappointed. We just don’t do that here. I think it’s important that we won (in doubles) here. I think it’s good for us. It gives everybody a lot of confidence.”

The pair did not lose serve the entire tournament.

Rola, Buchanan and Kobelt will move on to the ITA National Indoor Championships to be held Nov. 3-6 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Rola made the semifinals of the singles tournament a year ago while Buchanan fell in the round of 16, and Kobelt and Allare made the quarterfinals of the doubles event.

“I went there last year in just singles and I could have done better, so I am looking forward to another opportunity to go there and do well for this program and show America what the Buckeyes are about,” Buchanan said.

Buckeye Highlights• The men’s soccer team improved

to 3-1 in the Big Ten and stayed alive in the race for the league title with a 1-0 overtime win vs. Penn State on Oct. 23 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Senior Day threatened to be a disap-pointment as the Buckeyes were kept off the board through regulation, but Austin McAnena got the overtime goal in the 96th minute. McAnena took a pass from Parnell Hegngi on the left side and scored through the legs of the PSU goalkeeper for his second game winner of the season.

Senior defender David Tiemstra led an OSU defense that earned its third shut-out in four games. Junior Matt Lampson made six saves in the shutout, the 23rd of his career.

• The OSU pistol team posted a mar-quee victory Oct. 23, defeating defend-ing national champion Army by a 6,365-6,344 final as part of the OSU Buckeye Invitational at the Lt. Hugh W. Wylie Range.

Blake Reburn finished second in free pistol with a 524 and third in air pistol with a score of 550, while Joe Totts took third in standard pistol (541) and three-gun aggregate (1,595).

Kevin Walrod scored to give the Spartans (2-4-0, 1-3-0-0) a 1-0 lead after the first period, but Alex Szczechura put in a rebound at 5:01 of the second and Crane tallied on a two-man advantage at 10:50 to give the Buckeyes the lead.

Walrod’s second of the night knotted things up three minutes later, but Ohio State pulled away with two goals early in the third. Freshman Darik Angeli got the game-winning goal – the first tally of his

career – at 4:04 when he put in a rebound, and then Crane tal-lied just 1:13 later with a shot from the left circle.

Matt Johnson added an empty-net goal at 19:24 to seal the win for Heeter, who turned aside 26 shots.

Ohio State was without reigning CCHA rookie of the week Max McCormick because of injury. There is no

timetable for his return and McCormick did not make the trip for the two-game series.

Men’s Tennis TeamSweeps Regional Titles

Ohio State kept alive its recent run of success at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships, sweeping the men’s singles and doubles champion-ships Oct. 17 at the Varsity Tennis Center.

Sophomore Blaz Rola won the Midwest singles title for the second year in a row, using a dominant serve to overpower Michigan’s Evan King by a 6-3, 6-4 final. He became the fifth Buckeye to win the event in the past six seasons.

Rola finished off Casey Watt of Notre Dame earlier in the day by the same score to reach the finals.

“The whole tournament was just great,” Rola said. “The serve was work-ing great. I think I got broken once in the tournament, and in the final I just served unbelievably. I hit so many aces on so many big points.”

Rola was also in the final of the doubles event with teammate Connor Smith, but the OSU pair of junior Chase Buchanan and sophomore Peter Kobelt posted an 8-3 win.

The win allowed Buchanan to make up for a loss to King in the singles bracket earlier in the day, while Kobelt won the

Men’s Hockey Earns Split At Michigan State

Cal Heeter

By Ari Wasserman

It was over a week before the national polls would be released, but Ohio State head coach Thad Matta was perfectly aware during the team’s Photo/Media Day where his Buckeyes would be placed.

Coming off a season in which the Buckeyes went 34-2 and returning one of the top talents in college basketball in Jared Sullinger, Matta wasn’t going out on a limb when predicting his team would be highly ranked.

It turned out the coach was correct, as Ohio State was ranked No. 3 in the pre-season USA Today coaches poll released Oct. 20 behind only top-ranked North Carolina and Kentucky.

Managing expectations is something the head coach has already spoken exten-sively about with his team.

“We’ve addressed that with these guys,” Matta said, “understanding that the work must be put in, there must be a level of maturity, there must be a level of inten-sity in everything we do, knowing that it’s going to be a challenge. They’ve got to learn to accept the challenge, they’ve got to learn to attack the challenge.”

The Buckeyes’ placement in the top

visit to Ohio State the weekend of Oct. 22, but it has been postponed. According to Scout.com, Coleman was set to announce his decision Oct. 25.

The 6-8, 280-pound center will decide between Syracuse, Kentucky and Ohio State.

• Though Matta made a late attempt to get back into the running of the recruitment of Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern shooting guard Gary Harris, it appears the Buckeyes are no longer in contention for his services. The 6-4, 190-pound Harris, ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 2 shooting guard in the 2012 class, is down to Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State and Kentucky.

“As everybody knows recently, Ohio State head coach Thad Matta came in to see me at my school,” Harris wrote in a journal published on Scout.com. “We had a good talk, but by the time they came in to see me I had already narrowed down my list to four choices, and I still have that same group of four schools. Ohio State is a great school and they have great coaches, but I still have the four schools I am interested in and will visit.”

five is nothing new for the team. The Sullinger-led squad has been mentioned as favorites to advance to the Final Four since preseason publications initially broached the topic.

But Ohio State isn’t the same team that lost only two games a year ago. It is forced to replace dynamic talents in David Lighty and Jon Diebler, both of whom played integral parts in the Buckeyes’ vast suc-cess a year ago, as well as shot-blocker Dallas Lauderdale.

With only one senior on the roster in William Buford – who is the only upper-classman on the team with playing experi-ence – Ohio State is forced to go back to the drawing board in the preseason to find out what works for it.

The security blanket that came in the form of Lighty’s swarming defense and Diebler’s sharp shooting from long range no longer exists.

“We feel like we can do something special,” sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas said. “But we have work to do.”

Recruiting Notes • Five-star center prospect Dajuan

Coleman of Dewitt (N.Y.) Jamesville-Dewitt was scheduled to make an official

Matta’s Buckeyes Rank High In Preseason Polls

By Marcus Hartman

A year later than expected, Amy Scullion hopes to help the Ohio State women’s basketball team any way head coach Jim Foster asks of her.

Scullion, the 2010 Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year, has fully recov-ered from a right knee injury that ended her first season in Columbus before it started. After redshirting, she is considered a candidate to earn significant playing time in a lineup missing two of its top four scorers from last season, including senior guard Brittany Johnson.

A sore left Achilles tendon has slowed her somewhat dur-ing preseason practice this season, but she told BSB she is optimistic that will not last long and she will be able to find a role.

“I think last year we just had such a tal-ented team that my mind-set was I’m going

lot so there are definitely a lot of positives that came out of it.”

The timeline of the injury and recovery also allowed Scullion to begin working on her game as early as spring, when the coaching staff is allowed some individual and group time with the players.

She was not fully cleared until early summer, but she was able to work on her jump shot and other aspects of her game long before that.

“They say you’re back after a year, so that’s where she is because it happened so early last year,” Foster said. “She had a lot of time to work on her shot and work on some basketball stuff and it shows. She was a lot more fluid and savvy starting this year than she was last year as a freshman.”

Asked what she has worked on, Scullion identified quickening her release, adding range to her shot and developing a pull-up jumper.

“It’s just small things,” she said. “That’s what I realized – the higher you go, it’s the small things that make the difference.”

to come in the gym and work my butt off every day and hopefully maybe I can get a couple of minutes every game for rebound-ing or defense,” she said. “That’s the same thing this year – just trying to find minutes on the floor and hopefully I’ll jell and go from there.”

She figures to compete with junior Amber Stokes and true freshmen Raven Ferguson, Shelbi Honeycutt and Maleeka Kynard for Johnson’s old start-ing spot as well as time off the bench in relief of stars Samantha Prahalis and Tayler Hill.

Scullion, who averaged 18.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a senior at Salem High School, had never suffered a sig-

nificant injury prior to last year, but she used the time off to adjust mentally to col-lege life and the college game.

“I got a chance to watch the game and it slowed down for me,” she said. “I learned a

Healthy Again, Scullion Ready To Contribute

Amy Scullion

12 BSB Quickly Oct. 24, 2011 Basketball