Tag Archives: Columbus

Five seniors named captains for 2014

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Jody Victor: Here is some great Buckeye football news from OSU.edu and OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Five seniors were announced as team captains today by coach Urban Meyer. The five, chosen by vote of their teammates, included injured and out-for-the-year quarterback Braxton Miller, cornerback Doran Grant, linebacker Curtis Grant, defensive tackle Michael Bennett and tight end Jeff Heuerman.
Miller, who will have surgery tomorrow to repair his injured right shoulder, will not be able to accompany the team to its game in Baltimore against Navy this weekend, and coach Urban Meyer said Miller would have to count on the 70-man travel roster when he is able to travel with the team.

Heuerman, called one of the best tight ends in the country by Meyer during his press conference today, is also not 100 percent but Meyer anticipated he will be able to play Saturday. Heuerman is a veteran of 36 games with 22 starts and he has 35 career receptions for 585 yards and five touchdowns.

Joining Miller and Heuerman as captains are three defensive standouts, all in their fourth seasons with the Scarlet and Gray:
•Doran Grant has played in all 39 games over the past three seasons and has started 15 times. The only returning starter in the secondary, he has recorded 83 tackles, 11 pass break-ups and four interceptions.
•Curtis Grant is a 13-game starter who is coming off his best season as a Buckeye when he played in 12 games last season, started 10 times and had 52 tackles, four TFLs and two pass break-ups. He is a veteran of 30 games.
•Bennett started 13 games at defensive tackles last season and was among the team leaders in TFLs (11.5 for minus-62 yards) and quarterback sacks (seven). He also contributed 42 tackles and he enters his senior campaign with 34 games played, 17.5 TFLs, 11 quarterback sacks, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

The team will have one final practice – Tuesday – before the fall semester starts on Wednesday.

GO BUCKS! GO BUCKS! GO BUCKS!

Jody Victor

Ohio State fall camp update

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Jody Victor: Here is some great Buckeye football news from OSU.edu and OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes worked through practice No. 15 of the 2014 fall camp season Saturday morning – part of it an intrasquad scrimmage – in lovely conditions at the Ackerman Road fields. Afterward, head coach Urban Meyer met with the media at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Meyer first addressed the status of quarterback Braxton Miller, who participated in the scrimmage on a limited basis. He said he should be ready to go in two weeks, that his shoulder was structurally fine, but that soreness was holding him back.

Chase for No. 2 QB: Meyer said redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett has moved slightly ahead of third-year sophomore Cardale Jones in the competition for the No. 2 quarterback position behind Miller. Meyer’s reasons for Barrett’s rise: “Functionality, completing passes, growing up a bit, understanding things.

RBs Smith & Dunn praised: Fifth-year senior Rod Smith and third-year sophomore Bri’onte Dunn each drew compliments from Meyer on Saturday and both are in the mix at running back.
Three offensive line positions now filled: Meyer said that Baldwin has earned the starting position at right tackle, joining left tackle Taylor Decker and right guard Pat Elflein as starters along an offensive line that must replace four graduated seniors who are all in NFL training camps right now.

GO BUCKS! GO BUKCS! GO BUCKS!

Jody Victor

Buckeyes host BTN at Wednesday’s practice

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Jody Victor: Here is some great Buckeye football news from OSU.edu and OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Day 3 at Ohio State’s fall camp included another acclimation practice in the afternoon in front of close to 100 media members and support staff as the Big Ten Network was on campus for its annual preseason look at Ohio State football.

BTN studio hosts Gerry DiNardo, Howard Griffith and Dave Revsine enjoyed practice on an overcast, albeit lovely day at the country club of college practice facilities, the Harmon Family Football Park at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Herbstreit also on campus: Lead ABC/ESPN college football analyst and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit stopped by the facility to check out the Buckeyes. After practice, while coach Urban Meyer, Tom Herman, Braxton Miller and Chris Ash stopped by the BTN set, coaches Luke Fickell and Ed Warinner met with the writers and reporters on the indoor practice field.

Ball sidelined: Sophomore running back Warren Ball missed practice and was wearing a protective boot after he injured a foot during Monday’s practice. Ball’s absence leaves coach Stan Drayton with three running backs who have lettered: senior Rod Smith and sophomores Ezekiel Elliott and Bri’onte Dunn. Talented freshman Curtis Samuel does have a spring drills in his rearview after he enrolled into classes at Ohio State in January.

New on the roster: There are some new names on the Buckeyes’ 105-man roster: running back Jeffie Johnson, from Hilliard; former Ohio State wrestler Kosta Karageorge, a defensive lineman from Columbus; offensive lineman R.J. Morris, from Naperville, Ill.; offensive lineman Michael Pruni, from Dover, Ohio; and receiver Isiah Williams, from Dayton.

Up next: The Buckeyes have a single practice Thursday afternoon. The team moves into its fall camp home midmorning: the Hyatt Place Columbus.

GO BUCKS! GO BUCKS! GO BUCKS!

Jody Victor

No sweat! Buckeyes chill out at water park

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Jody Victor: Here is some great Buckeye football news from OSU.edu and OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio- The members of the Ohio State football team spent Wednesday afternoon chilling out at Columbus’ local waterpark: Zoombezi Bay. On a splendid 75-degree day in Ohio, the entire team took part in activities that included:
•Individual and multi-person water slides;
•Side-by-side, or perhaps slide-by-slide, water races;
•Floating on inner-tubes down a lazy river; and
•Splashing around in the wave pool.

After enjoying this watery-world – and judging by the smiles, everyone absolutely enjoyed the day – the players headed over to coach Urban Meyer’s residence for a barbecue dinner featuring ribs, hamburgers, cheesy potatoes, pasta salad and chips.

Now that all of the scholarship players on the team are in Columbus attending classes and training with strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti, the activities represented one of the first full-team building opportunities outside of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

The student-athletes have had numerous bonding activities within their position groups already, including some visiting a ropes course, some battling at paint ball and some water skiing. In addition, all the position groups are involved in community service projects this summer.

The Buckeyes are down to their final two weeks of conditioning work with Marotti and his staff before the start of fall camp on August 4.

Today, however, was just for fun.

GO BUKCS! GO BUCKS! GO BUCKS!

Jody Victor

Drew Rucinski Makes MLB Debut

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Jody Victor: Here is some great Buckeye baseball news from OSU.edu and OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Buckeye Drew Rucinski made his Major League Baseball debut Thursday night, pitching the ninth inning of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s 15-6 win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. The right-hander becomes the fourth Buckeye to play in the big leagues this season, joining Eric Fryer, JB Shuck and Nick Swisher.

“It’s awesome,” Rucinski told Angels.com of the promotion. “I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity. I found out [Wednesday] night in Tulsa. They told me to pack up and come here. Baseball’s crazy. You never know what’s going to happen. I’m just thrilled to be here.”

Prior to his promotion, Rucinski was 7-4 with a 2.35 earned-run average in 17 starts at Double-A Arkansas. A Texas League All-Star and Texas League Pitcher of the Week in June, Rucinski had struck out 85 and walked 28 while allowing opponents to hit just .235.

Rucinski, who signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Indians in 2011, pitched for the Rockland Aviators of the independent Frontier League in 2012 and 2013 before signing a free-agent contract with the Angels last August. He earned second team All-Big Ten honors and ranked fifth in the Big Ten in earned run average as a senior in 2011. Rucinski went 5-3 with a 2.95 ERA and 53 strikeouts in a team-high 82.1 innings pitched as the Buckeyes’ Friday night starter. He ranks 16th all-time at Ohio State with 22 career wins and 15th with 257.1 innings pitched.

GO BUCKS! GO BUCKS! GO BUCKS!

Jody Victor