2006 Ohio State football preview

2005 Record: 10-2 (7-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Jim Tressel

Players Drafted:
AJ Hawk OLB - Round 1 - Green Bay
Donte Whitner S - Round 1 - Buffalo
Bobby Carpenter OLB - Round 1 - Dallas
Santonio Holmes WR - Round 1 - Pittsburgh
Nick Mangold C - Round 1 - NY Jets
Ashton Youboty CB - Round 3 - Buffalo
Anthony Schlegel ILB - Round 3 - NY Jets
Nate Salley S - Round 4 - Carolina
Rob Sims G - Round 4 - Seattle

Top Recruits:
Chris Wells RB - 6'2" 230 Akron, OH
Robert Rose DE - 6'4" 260 Cleveland, OH
Connor Smith OT - 6'6" 275 Cincinnati, OH
Kurt Coleman CB - 6'0" 180 Clayton, OH

Key Players Returning:
Doug Datish OC
T.J. Downing OG
Ted Ginn Jr. WR
Anthony Gonzalez WR
James Laurinaitis LB
Brandon Mitchell FS
Quinn Pitcock DT.
Antonio Pittman RB
Troy Smith QB
Maurice Wells RB

The Buckeyes return 10 starters and 43 lettermen from their 2005 team which finished 10-2 after beating Notre Dame 34-20 in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe. After starting the 2005 season at 3-2, Tressel led his team to 7 straight victories to close out the season and finish 7-1 in the Big Ten; including a 25-21 victory over arch-rival Michigan.

Ohio State Offensive Outlook

The Buckeyes return 8 offensive starters from a team that scored 32.7 points per game. Troy Smith will be in charge to start this season, and he will have plenty of weapons surrounding him on offense. Antonio Pittman emerged last season as a solid runner with speed and strength. Anthony Gonzalez will be a dependable receiver who has come up big under pressure situations. Ted Ginn will be the number one target and provides Jim Tressel with an opportunity to be creative with the offense. Smith has put himself near the top of every Heisman watch list after his performances against Michigan and Notre Dame last season, and Ginn has heard his name in Heisman conversations as well. Smith's style has been compared to Vince Young because he has proven to be a major threat running and passing.

Tressel may have scored the number one recruited running back this past year in Chris Wells. He’s a solid runner out of Akron, Ohio who is too good to not get carries as a true freshman. This offense will keep the OSU faithful on the edge of their seats.

Ohio State Defensive Outlook

The OSU defense returns just 2 starters as all of the top 8 tacklers from the 2005 team have moved on. Believe it or not, Tressel is the strength in this department. While he’s actually an offensive mind, he has built his previous teams around defense. With an improved offense, he should be able to cover the loss of Hawk and others. Quinn Pitcock is a playmaker on the line that has the ability to manhandle opposing offensive lineman.

It will be interesting to see the new linebackers: James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, and John Kerr. Along with the often injured Mike D’Andrea, these linebackers have plenty of potential to continue the success of backers roaming the field for OSU.

Ohio State Special Teams

The kicking game has been a major key for the Buckeyes in the past. Mike Nugent got drafted, in stepped Josh Houston. Houston graduated and in steps...well we’ll have to wait and see. Sophomore Ryan Pretorius looks to be the early favorite, but don’t count out Aaron Pettrey who has a very strong long. Sophomore punter A.J. Trapasso returns with a year of experience. He’s a good punter that just needs to find consistency.

To top off the special teams, Ginn is back. Notably the most dangerous kick/punt returner in the nation, he’ll electrify fans once again in 2006. Sometimes it seems he tries a little too hard to cut back early in the return, but then again, who’s going to tell him to change his style that is so feared.

2006 Keys to Success: Tressel will need to find a way to replace the loss of so many key defensive starters which means a number of new guys will have to step up right away. There are high expectations this season which will require these players to produce immediately. It’s hard to imagine that a team could lose AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schlegel, Mike Kudla, Donte Whitner, Ashton Youboty, and Nate Salley and still be expected to win, let alone tagged to contend for a National Championship. Somehow Tressel has been able to reload with players that seem to be as good, if not better, than their predecessors. If those players are as good as advertised the Buckeyes will be right where many expect them to be at the end of the season.

The loss of two linemen on offense leaves a question mark. Nick Mangold was the anchor of the line, and Rob Sims played a key role at guard. However, the Buckeyes have a number of very capable replacements that, in time, could develop into a solid unit.

The loss of Santonio Holmes will require a receiver to step up and help Ginn and Gonzalez. Roy Hall is a physical beast, but he will need to show that he can be a more reliable target on every down.

2006 Overview: Ohio State looks primed to make another run at a National Championship. Three of their toughest games will come in the first five weeks against Texas, Penn State, and Iowa. OSU needs to beat Iowa on the road or the Hawkeyes will have a shot a running the table. The schedule drops off (watch out for Michigan State though) until the finale with Michigan at the Horseshoe. It won't be an easy task having the bulls-eye on their backs again this year, but with the talent wearing scarlet and grey there’s no reason to think they can’t win it all this season.

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