Ohio State Football: Good News and Bad News Surfaces from a Busy Weekend

Drew Basil is in the running for playing time

A year removed from the worst special teams performance of the Tressel era, the reports from the annual Fall Kick Scrimmage were almost unanimously good. However, some ugly news on the injury front marred an otherwise positive weekend.

KICK SCRIMMAGE

Back in April, OSU kickers barely made over half of their kicks at the Spring Scrimmage.  Apparently they have been practicing, as both Barclay and Basil drilled the ball through the uprights Saturday. 

In fact, both kickers were an almost perfect 10 for 11 in regulation, a situation that brought on sudden death.  Drew Basil, who looks like he is about sixteen, calmly nailed a 37 yarder, while the veteran Devin Barclay was wide right from the same distance.  Make no doubt about it—this is a competition, and at the very least, look for Basil to kick the long field goals and be the kickoff man this year.  He will not be redshirting. 

The punting battle looks to be over, not that anyone expected much of a fight.  Ben Buchanan had a good, but not great day.  That was enough to distance himself from walk-on Drew Erwin.  I am not overly excited by the inconsistency of Buchanan, but he has the potential to be a fine punter.

With Ray Small graduating, Ohio State lost their only dependable weapon from last season's return game, but some young guys have promise, and Corey "Philly" Brown showed off his world-class speed Saturday with a 45-yard punt return.  If he can hold on to the ball, Brown might get a hard look as the punt returner, although it is obvious the staff has more confidence right now in DeVier Posey.  Still, it would be great to rest DeVier and keep the team's stud receiver from incurring a special teams injury.  Meanwhile, nobody stood out on kick returns in this scrimmage, although Jordan Hall looks to have nailed down one spot.  The other kick returner could be Boom Herron, Brandon Saine, Jamaal Berry, or Christian Bryant.  Speed is not an issue, but blocking might be. 

SATURDAY PRACTICE

Before the Kick Scrimmage, the Buckeyes practiced in the Horseshoe and although there were some good moments, the real story was injuries.  The list of players who sat out included Jake Stoneburner (adding to my nervousness at having only two scholarship tight ends), Dane Sanzenbacher, Ross Homan, Devon Torrence, and J.B. Shugarts.

Worse yet, defensive end Nathan Williams severely twisted a knee and might be out for a while.  Considering the lack of proven depth on the d-line, and the potential Williams possesses, this is most disappointing.  Solomon Thomas has been chomping at the bit for a bigger role, and he needs to be ready to strap on his helmet. Melvin Fellows, who seems to improve each day, is also in line for playing time.   

Also of concern is the offensive line, which until Saturday, had been looking better.  However, with Shugarts out, it was a Chinese fire drill at tackle, and nobody looked overly strong.

Mike Adams has yet to stake his claim at left tackle, and on this day, he slid over to the right side to fill in for Shugarts.  Big Mike is still the odds on favorite to start at LT, but Andy Miller and Marcus Hall aren't out of the running.  For the love of all that is good, as well as the health of Terrelle Pryor, Buckeye fans have to hope this gets settled soon. 

On a brighter note, Taurian Washington is gaining confidence daily and looks ready to be the number three receiver and make the most of his senior season.  And, a number of young guys continue to impress including Christian Bryant (our next speeding Silver Bullet?), Jonathan Hankins, Carlos Hyde, and the aforementioned "Philly" Brown.

There are some interesting position battles looming and the two-deep is far from settled at this point.  The hope is that the injury bug won't rear its ugly head anymore this fall.