Coach Jim Tressel’s 1-1 Buckeyes are coming off a hard-fought 25-22 loss to No. 2 Texas last Saturday. A record Ohio Stadium crowd of 105,565 was on hand for the first meeting between the then fourth-ranked Buckeyes and the No. 2 Longhorns. While the loss snapped a 36-game winning streak against non-conference foes in Ohio Stadium, it did nothing to diminish a brilliant performance by All-America linebacker A.J. Hawk, who had 12 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.

THE OSU VS. SDSU SERIES
Ohio State and San Diego State meet for the third time in the series. The Buckeyes won the previous two meetings, the first a 27-12 decision in 2001 and then a 16-13 victory in 2003. The 2001 game was originially scheduled for Sept. 11 but was postponed following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The game was played Oct. 20 that year.

Ohio State is 7-1 all-time vs. teams representing the Mountain West Conference. The lone defeat was to Air Force (23-11) in the 1990 Liberty Bowl. The Buckeyes own a 3-0 record vs. BYU and have single victories against Utah and Wyoming.

ABOUT THE AZTECS
San Diego State is 0-2 on the year and 0-1 in the Mountain West Conference after dropping games to UCLA (44-21) and last week to Air Force (41-29).

The Aztecs are averaging 409.5 yards of total offense and 25.0 points in the first two games of the season, including an average of 160.0 yards rushing and 249.5 yards passing. Lynell Hamilton is averaging 73.5 yards rushing, while quarterback Kevin O’Connell has completed 43-of-65 passes (66.2 percent) for 431 yards and two touchdowns. Jeff Webb is the leading Aztec receiver with 162 yards and one touchdown in the first two games.

On defense, San Diego State is allowing 426.0 yards of total offense, including 231.5 yards on the ground and 194.5 yards in the air. Freddy Keiaho leads the Aztecs with 21 tackles, including two tackles-for-losses totaling 4 yards. Reggie Grigsby has 18 tackles, including one tackle-for-loss. Antwan Applewhite has 2.5 of the team’s four sacks.

SAN DIEGO STATE’S LAST GAME
San Diego State took a 10-0 first-quarter lead at Air Force, but gave up 20 points in the second quarter as the Falcons cruised to a 41-29 victory last week. The Aztecs pulled to within five points, 27-22, with 9:59 to play, but Air Force scored twice more.

Jacobe Kendrick had 128 yards and four touchdowns, and Shaun Carney had 231 yards passing to lead Air Force. The Aztecs had 227 yards passing and one touchdown from Kevin O’Connell. Jeff Webb had eight catches for 91 yards. Lynel Hamilton ran for 65 yards and one TD.

COACH TOM CRAFT
Tom Craft (San Diego State, 1977) is in his fourth season at his alma mater and is 14-24 in his first Division I head coaching position. Craft began his coaching career in 1977 as an assistant coach at Palomar College before becoming the head coach there in 1983. In 1994, he left the Comets for San Diego State and spent three seasons as the Aztecs’ offensive coordinator.

He went back to Palomar in 1997 to serve as the school’s head coach and then after five seasons was hired by San Diego State as the head coach. In two different stints at Palomar, Craft, a native of Iowa City, Iowa, was 115-56 in 16 seasons and won three national championships. As a quarterback for the Aztecs, Craft led SDSU to a 10-1 record as a starter in 1976. In his two years as a player, Craft’s teams were 18-4.

TELEVISION AND RADIO
ABC will televise the game to a regional audience and WBNS Radio will broadcast it around the state on the 73-station Ohio State radio network. Kickoff is set for 3:36 p.m. in sold out Ohio Stadium (102,329).

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Texas quarterback Vince Young connected on a 24-yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter to lift the second-ranked Texas Longhorns to a 25-22 win over the fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes before a record crowd of 105,565 at Ohio Stadium, Saturday night.

Ohio State had a chance to go ahead by nine points and put the game away, but sixth-year senior placekicker Josh Huston, who made five field goals earlier in the game was wide-right with five minutes left to play.

All it took for Young and the Longhorns was just two minutes and 23 seconds to march 67 yards for the game-winning score after the missed field goal. Key play of the drive was on a third-and-6 from the OSU 48-yard line as Young hit Jamaal Charles for a nine-yard pass play and a first down. The extra point by David Pino gave Texas a 23-22 lead with 2:37 left to play in the game.

Following the kickoff, Ohio State had possession of the ball at their own 31 yard line to start the drive, but that drive only lasted one play. In what was the worst decision made by Tressel and his coaching staff, Justin Zwick trotted onto the field instead of Troy Smith to lead the Buckeyes, and they didn’t get to far.

On the first and only play, Zwick dropped back to pass but found no one open, so he bolted to the left and gained four yards before being hit and coughed up the football. The fumble was recovered by Texas’ Brian Robison who returned the loose ball to the OSU 21-yard line.

Texas did not score on the drive, turning the ball over to OSU on downs inside the 1-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Smith was sacked in the end zone for a safety, pushing the Texas lead to 25-22.

Ohio State attempted an onside kick following the safety, but it was recovered by Texas, giving the Longhorns possession at the OSU 32. V. Young took a knee to run out the clock.

After holding Ohio State to three-and-out on its opening possession, Texas drove 64 yards in 11 plays and settled for a 42-yard field goal by David Pino to take a 3-0 lead with 10:03 to play in the first quarter. Longhorn quarterback Vince Young carried three times for 52 yards on the drive, including a 32-yard rush that moved his team across midfield.

Texas also scored on its second possession of the game to extend its lead to 10-0 with 1:37 to play in the first quarter. The Longhorns drove 84 yards in 10 plays, capped by a 5-yard pass from Vince Young to Tarell Brown in the back of the end zone.

Holmes took the ensuing kickoff and raced 47 yards down the west sideline before Ohio State’s field position was bolstered by a Longhorn penalty the moved the Buckeyes to the UT 36-yard line. Ohio State got on the scoreboard five plays later when Huston connected from 45 yards out to pull the Buckeyes within a 10-3 score with 14:17 to play in the second quarter.

The Ohio State defense allowed Texas only 13 yards on its next possession to force a punt. The Buckeyes followed with a nine-play, 80-yard drive that saw quarterback Troy Smith, in his first game back from a two-game suspension, complete a 36-yard pass to Holmes in the corner of the end zone to tie the score.

Huston’s leg gave the Buckeyes a 13-10 lead with 4:33 to play before halftime. He booted a 36-yard field goal after linebacker A.J. Hawk picked off Young under pressure from Mike Kudla. With his seventh career interception, Hawk doubled back and returned the ball 24 yards to the UT 18-yard line, but Ohio State could not pick up a first down and settled for the go-ahead field goal.

Hawk fell on a fumble on the ensuing Texas possession to give the ball back to Ohio State. OSU defensive end Jay Richardson forced Texas tailback Selvin Young to fumble and Hawk pounced on the ball at the UT 30-yard line. Nine plays later, Huston kicked his third field goal of the night to build the Buckeye lead to 16-10 with 35 seconds to play before intermission. Texas pulled within three points on a Pino 37-yard field goal with two seconds left in the opening half.

In the second half, another Texas turnover led to anther Huston field goal. On the Longhorns’ second play of their first second-half drive, Vince Young threw his second interception of the game as safety Nate Salley picked off a ball tipped by linebacker Bobby Carpenter. Six plays later, Huston booted his fourth field goal of the game, this time connecting from 44 yards to give the Buckeyes a 19-13 lead with 11:46 to play in the third quarter.

After the Longhorns pulled within three, 19-16, on a 25-yard Pino field goal, Huston tied a school and Ohio Stadium record with his fifth field goal of the game to retake a six-point lead. His connection from 26 yards out made the score 22-16 with 5:12 to play. He tied former Buckeyes Mike Nugent and Bob Atha with five field goals in a game. Nugent had five field goals at North Carolina State last year and Atha kicked five vs. Indiana in Ohio Stadium in 1980.

Texas and Ohio State will play again Sept. 9, 2006 at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

Ohio State welcomes San Diego State to Ohio Stadium at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday. The game will be televised by ABC Sports.

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The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns meet for the first time this week in a game that ranks as one of the most anticipated matchups in the history of either school. The game, circled in red by Longhorn and Buckeye fans alike and long since sold out, will have stately old Ohio Stadium bulging at the seams. ABC will attempt to appease those fans without tickets with a national telecast that gets underway at 8:08 p.m, Saturday night.

ESPN College GameDay will set up just north of the Stadium for a full day of college football updates, as will ESPN Radio’s version of the same program. The early season clash of titans has generated so much interest the ABC halftime show, which normally originates in-studio in New York, will be on location in Columbus.

The Buckeyes have played under the lights 33 times in history. Ohio State is 25-8 overall, including bowl games, in games played at night. At Ohio Stadium, Ohio State is 6-0. The last night game played in Columbus was a 28-9 win against No. 17 Washington in the 2003 season opener (Aug. 30).

Both teams enter the game with 1-0 records. The sixth-ranked Buckeyes opened the season Saturday afternoon with a convincing 34-14 victory over Miami (Ohio). The second-ranked Longhorns got off on the right foot later in the day with 60-3 stampede over visiting Louisiana-Lafayette.

Ohio State enters the game with a modest three-game winning streak, while Texas has reeled off eight-consecutive wins.

The two teams do have a pair of common foes in those winning streaks. Both played Michigan and Oklahoma State last year. The Buckeyes defeated Michigan 37-21 and Oklahoma State 33-7, while the Longhorns were 56-35 victors over the Cowboys and 38-37 winners over Michigan.

Ohio State has won 36-consecutive non-conference games in Ohio Stadium, last losing a home tilt in 1990 against the University of Southern California.

Including the bowl win over Michigan, the Longhorns have won five-consecutive road games.

“This is one of those games that coaches and players look forward to. Shoot, we can’t wait and I am sure they feel the same way. It matches two great research universities, two great football programs and two states that really support their teams against one another. Everyone has been talking about it since the end of last season. I know this; it won’t be hard to get our players’ attention this week,” Tressel said.

Former Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes will be honored at halftime of the Texas game. A sign recognizing Hayes’ accomplishments during his 28 years with the Buckeyes will be unveiled on the west façade in Ohio Stadium and will be on permanent display in tribute to the late coach, who to this day remains one of the icons of his profession. Hayes’ grandchildren, Laura Hayes and Phillip Hayes, will be at the game.

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This will be the first meeting between two of the most storied football programs in the nation. The Buckeyes enter the game with an all-time record of 766-298-53 in 115 years. That includes a Big Ten record of 418-161-24 since 1913, an Ohio Stadium mark of 356-101-20 and a bowl mark of 17-19.

Over the years, the Buckeyes have won seven national championships, the most recent coming in 2002 when they posted an unblemished 14-0 record. The Buckeyes also have produced 164 first-team All-Americans down through the years, including six Heisman Trophy winners.

Texas has an all-time record of 788-310-33 since 1893. The Longhorns victory total is the third highest in NCAA annals. They have an all-time bowl record of 21-21-2, including a 38-37 victory over Michigan last year.

The Longhorns have had 110 players selected to first-team All-America honors and have won two Heisman Trophies. The Longhorns have won three national championships.

The Buckeyes employed a variety of sets and personnel on offense in the opener, rushing for 160 yards and passing for 222 more. Four different players caught five passes and sophomore Antonio Pittman fueled the running game with an even 100 yards on 14 carries.

The OSU defense was nearly flawless and did not allow a score until substituting liberally late in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes wanted to set the tone early, and did, scoring on their first two possessions to take a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Miami punted four times and threw an interception (which OSU returned for a touchdown) on its five first-half possessions.

The Buckeyes’ offense features the speedy receiving trio of split end Santonio Holmes, flanker Ted Ginn Jr. and slot back Anthony Gonzales, all of whom had five receptions in the opener (as did Roy Hall).

Up front, All-America candidate Nick Mangold and left guard Robbie Sims are the wheel horses of a veteran offensive line.

In the win over Miami, starting quarterback Justin Zwick and backup Todd Boeckman combined to complete 22 of 30 passes for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This week, the Buckeyes will have three signal callers in the mix with the return of junior Troy Smith, who has missed the past two games because of an NCAA suspension.

Smith led the Buckeyes to wins in four of the last five regular-season games last year and accounted for 386 yards in total offense in the win over Michigan.

Defensively, the Buckeyes are led by one of the best groups of linebackers in the school’s history in seniors A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel. That trio combined for 18 tackles and three sacks in the win over Miami.

Cornerback Ashton Youboty had eight tackles against Miami, including a tackle-for-loss, and defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock had 1.5 tackles-for-loss to keep the RedHawks guessing.

Texas, which won its season opener last week in Austin with a 60-3 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, owns the fourth best win-loss percentage in the history of college football with a 788-310-33 record (.711) record in 112 seasons. The Longhorns beat Michigan 38-37 in the Rose Bowl last season to complete an 11-1 season, the third 11-win season for Texas in the last four years.

Texas quarterback Vince Young passed for three touchdowns and ran for another and Jamaal Charles set a school freshman debut record with 135 yards rushing to lead the Longhorns to a 60-3 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday in Austin.

Texas finished with 418 yards on the ground and Young completed 13-of-17 passes for 173 yards as Texas amassed 591 total yards. Young added 49 yards rushing on seven carries before leaving the game in the third quarter. David Thomas caught two touchdown passes from Young and Henry Melton had two rushing touchdowns.

The second-ranked Longhorns, who led the Ragin’ Cajuns 13-3 after the first quarter, led 39-3 at halftime and 53-3 after the third quarter. Texas rolled up 591 total yards and scored at least 60 points for the third-consecutive season opener.

Five different players ran for touchdowns, including Henry Melton, who scored twice via the run. Four different players ran for at least 65 yards, including freshman Jamaal Charles who tread 135 yards in his college debut.

David Thomas caught two TD passes from Vince Young, who finished the day 13-for-17 for 173 yards and three scores. He also hit Nate Jones for a TD.

Louisiana-Lafayette finished the game with 238 total yards as the Longhorn defense limited it to only 72 yards rushing and 166 yards passing. Texas had 10 tackles-for-loss, including three sacks totaling 22 yards. Marcus Griffin and Robert Killebrew each had seven tackles.

Mack Brown is 157-93-1 in his 22nd year as a collegiate head coach. Since arriving to Texas in 1998, the Longhorns have gone 71-19 in eight seasons. Brown’s teams have won at least 10 games in each of the last four years, including 11 in 2001, 2002 and again in 2004 after beating Michigan 38-37 in the Rose Bowl.

His Texas teams also have participated in three Cotton and three Holiday bowls. Before arriving in Austin, Brown spent 10 seasons (1988-97) at North Carolina directing the Tar Heels to bowl games in each of his last six seasons there. His teams won 10 games three different seasons and finished with a record of 69-46-1.

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Antonio Pittman rushed for the century mark. Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr. each hauled in touchdown passes from Justin Zwick and Todd Boeckman, while the defense pitched a shutout for three quarters as the sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes easily defeated the Miami of Ohio RedHawks 34-14 in front of 104,695 fans at Ohio Stadium, Saturday afternoon.

The Buckeyes received the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards in 12 plays that was capped off by a 20-yard pass from Justin Zwick to Holmes in the left corner of the end zone that gave the Buckeyes and early 7-0 lead and never look back.

Key plays of the drive came on a 17-yard run by Pittman on a second-and-3 from the OSU 33 yard line that put the ball at midfield. On third-and-4 from the RedHawks’ 19, Zwick completed a screen pass to Pittman for a gain of five yards and a first down. Two plays later, Zwick found Holmes in the left corner of the end zone on a fade route and got enough separation to haul in the perfect pass. Josh Huston’s PAT made the score 7-0 with 9:24 left in the first quarter.

After forcing Miami to punt on on their first possession of the game, the Buckeyes marched 63 yards in nine plays that ended in a 20-yard field goal by Huston.

The Buckeyes had a first-and-goal at the Miami five yard line, but a two yard loss by Pittman, an incomplete pass, and on third down, a completion from Zwick to Roy Hall that netted just four yards forced the field goal that gave OSU a 10-0 advantage with 1:09 remaining in the opening stanza.

The Silver Bullet defense forced Miami to punt after three plays, and Ginn received the punt at the OSU 46 and returned it seven yards before getting hit and the ball came lose. It was recovered by teammate Antonio Smith at the OSU 47 yard line.

The Buckeyes would go 18 yards in six plays before facing a third-and-2 at the Miami 29 yard line. Zwick, in shotgun formation, looked to pass then scampered 12 yards for the first down. After an incompletion, Zwick appeared to bobble the snap in a play was designed to go to Pittman on a swing pass, but Zwick lofted a pass to the back of the end zone that was intercepted by Miami’s Darrell Hunter for a touchback.

After stopping the Miami offense at midfield, the Buckeyes’ would get the ball on their own 20 yard line. Going 15 plays that covered 70 yards, Huston would add his second field goal of the game, this time from 27 yards out that gave the Buckeyes a 13-0 lead with 2:39 left in the second quarter.

On Miami’s next possession the Buckeyes would pin the RedHawks deep thanks to a two sacks, one by Anthony Schlegel, and another by A.J. Hawk that forced Miami to punt out of their own end zone. But a personal foul, roughing the kicker penalty on the Buckeyes gave the RedHawks a first down at their own 23.

But the RedHawks would turn the ball over on the very next play when Josh Betts was intercepted by Donte Whitner at the Miami 26 yard line and took it to the house that pushed the OSU lead to 20-0 with 69 seconds left in the first half.

The Buckeyes would score on their first two possessions to start the second half to put the game out of reach.

On the first drive, the Buckeyes would go 80 yards in nine plays capped off by a one yard run by fullback Brandon Schnittker. OSU never faced a third down situation during the scoring drive, and was aided by a 15 yard pass interference penalty on the RedHawks.

On the second drive starting on the the OSU 42, Maurice Wells would gain three on the ground before Boeckman completed two passes, one to Anthony Gonzalez for a gain of 13 yards, and the other was a 42 yard bomb to Ginn for a touchdown that gave the Buckeyes a commanding 34-0 lead.

The RedHawks scored twice in the final period as the Buckeyes’ rested most of their starters.

Jimmy Calhoun would score on a two yard run, and Betts would connect with Ryne Robinson for a 35-yard touchdown pass play that made the final score 34-14.

The Buckeyes held the edge in most offensive categories. In first downs, 24-21, in total offense, 382-296, and rushing yards, 160-48. The RedHawks outgained the Buckeyes through the air, 250-222, largely due to the fact that they trailed all game, and that OSU rested most of the starters in the later stages of the game when the RedHawks scored.

Zwick was 17-of-23 for 155 yards with one touchdown pass and had one interception. Boeckman 5-of-7 for 67 yards and a TD.

In the rushing department, Pittman gained an even 100 yards on 14 carries, while Zwick rushed for 29 yards in five tries.

Ginn and Holmes each caught five balls, and had nearly the same amount of yardage. Ginn had 75 yards receiving while Holmes had one yard less.

Up next, the Buckeyes will host the second-ranked Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium next Saturday. Kickoff is at 8:10 pm and will be seen nationally on ABC.

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Amid high expectations, Ohio State launches its 2005 football campaign Saturday by playing host to Miami University in sold out Ohio Stadium. Kickoff is set for shortly after noon on ABC. The game also can be heard on WBNS Radio, the flagship station for the statewide Ohio State radio network. Programming on the latter begins one hour before kickoff.

Coach Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes are coming off an 8-4 record in which they won five of their last six games, including convincing victories over Michigan (37-21) in the regular-season finale and Oklahoma State (33-7) in the Alamo Bowl to close out the year.

Ohio State returns 18 starters - nine on each side of the ball - and 44 lettermen from the 2004 team. The list of holdovers includes All-American linebacker A.J. Hawk, tabbed recently as the Big Ten’s preseason defensive player of the year, as well as speedster Ted Ginn Jr., who scored eight touchdowns last year as a true freshman and is already the school’s career leader in punt returns for touchdowns with four.

Not unexpectedly, the Buckeyes have figured prominently in the preseason polls, holding down the sixth spot in the Associated Press voting and the ninth position in the football coaches (USA Today) tabulations.

Miami counters with a veteran squad of its own, returning 17 starters - eight each on offense and defense and one on special teams - from an 8-5 team last year. The RedHawks closed out the season with a hard-fought 17-13 loss to Iowa State in the Independence Bowl.

Coach Shane Montgomery is in his first year as Miami’s head coach. He succeeds Terry Hoeppner, now the head coach at Indiana. Montgomery was the RedHawks quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator from 2001 through 2004.

Miami is the first of four-consecutive home games for the Buckeyes. Following the RedHawks, Texas and San Diego State come to town before Iowa visits for the Big Ten opener. Ohio State has won 37-consecutive non-conference games in Ohio Stadium, last losing a home tilt in 1990 against the University of Southern California.

AWARDS CANDIDATES
At the present time, eight Ohio State players are listed on the various postseason awards watch lists: A.J. Hawk (Butkus, Lombardi, Lott, Bednarik, Walter Camp), Nick Mangold (Rimington, Lombardi), Santonio Holmes (Biletnikoff, Walter Camp), Bobby Carpenter (Butkus), Nate Salley (Thorpe), Ashton Youboty (Thorpe), Ryan Hamby (Mackey) and Ted Ginn Jr. (Walter Camp, Biletnikoff).

OPENING DAY NUMBERS
The Buckeyes have an all-time opening day record of 99-12-4 and have won their last 26 home openers. OSU’s last opening day loss at home was to Penn State in 1978. The Buckeyes last opening day loss on the road was to the University of Miami in the 1999 Kickoff Classic.

SERIES INFORMATION
This will be just the fourth meeting between the two in-state schools. Ohio State has won all three of the previous contests, all of which were played in Columbus. The two teams first played in 1904 with the Buckeyes recording an 80-0 victory. The Buckeyes also recorded a shutout in the next meeting, but this time by a much narrower margin, escaping with a 3-0 win in 1911. The two teams did not play again until 2000, when Ohio State notched a 27-16 triumph.

Over the years, Ohio State has posted a 19-1 record against teams from the Mid-American Conference. Their lone loss was to Akron in 1895 by a 14-6 count.

The Buckeyes have been successful against teams from Ohio, posting an overall record of 172-48-17. Ohio State has not lost to an in-state team since falling 7-6 to Oberlin in 1921. Since that loss, the Buckeyes have won 26-consecutive starts against Ohio schools.

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State returns 18 of its 22 starters from a year ago when the Buckeyes closed out the season by winning five of their last six games for an 8-4 record and the No. 20 spot in the final Associated Press voting.

The offense has nine holdover starters, including the wide receiver tandem of Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr., who combined for 80 receptions and nine touchdown catches in 2004.

Holmes is coming off his best year with a team-leading 55 catches and seven TD grabs. The electrifying Ginn had 25 receptions as a rookie, including two for scores. Ginn wound up the season with eight touchdowns, recording four on punt returns to set a Big Ten record, and two on rushing attempts.

In addition to Holmes and Ginn, the Buckeyes’ dangerous receiving corps also includes wideouts Anthony Gonzalez (22.2 yards per catch last year) and Roy Hall (17 receptions) and tight end Ryan Hamby (16 grabs).

Junior Justin Zwick will get the opening day call at quarterback against Miami. He completed 98 of 187 passes for 1,209 yards in an injury-shortened 2004. After missing the final five games of the regular season with an ankle injury, the 6-foot-4-inch Zwick returned to action against Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl and led the Buckeyes to a 33-7 victory.

With junior Troy Smith, serving out the final leg of a two-game NCAA suspension, redshirt freshman Todd Boeckman will be the backup signal caller in the opener.

Up front, the Buckeyes return four-of-five starters and are led by All-America candidate Nick Mangold at center and Robbie Sims at left guard.

Offensive line coach Jim Bollman has done a little mixing and matching in the offseason, shifting Sims from left tackle to his present position and moving Doug Datish from right guard to Sims’ old spot. Additionally, T.J. Downing moves from left to right guard.

In the running department, Antonio Pittman is expected to make his first start at tailback. Pittman, who is coming off a terrific spring, appeared in 10 games last year and rushed for 381 yards on 73 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per attempt. His top game was 144 yards against Indiana. Converted fullback Brandon Schnittker, Erik Haw and true freshman Maurice Wells are the backups.

Stan White is the No. 1 fullback. The versatile junior, who came to OSU as a linebacker, can also play tight end.

The defense also returns nine starters, including what might well be the best group of linebackers in college football. Starters A.J. Hawk (141), Bobby Carpenter (93) and Anthony Schlegel (84) ranked first, second and third on the team in tackles last year and combined for 24 tackles-for-loss. Speedy reserve Marcus Freeman also will see extensive action.

The defensive front is led by senior Mike Kudla at end and junior Quinn Pitcock on the inside. Veteran Marcus Green also returns at tackle.

Thorpe Award candidates Nate Salley at free safety and Ashton Youboty at cover corner head up a secondary that includes Tyler Everett at corner and Donte Whitner at strong safety. True freshmen Malcolm Jenkins at corner and Jamario O’Neal at safety are expected to play.

In the kicking department, Josh Huston will take over the place-kicking chores and redshirt freshman A.J. Trapasso will inherit the punting duties.

“I feel good about both of those guys,” said Tressel, whose teams have made a habit of relying heavily on the kicking game. “Both have had good fall camps.”

TRESSEL ON THE BUCKEYES
“We have had a good camp. The players have worked hard and have done everything we have asked of them. I think we are in good physical condition and, with the exception of Rory Nicol (foot injury) and Jim Cordle (foot injury), are relatively healthy. I know our players are anxious to get the season going, as am I.

“My hope this year is that we can be a little more balanced offensively. We have a goal every game of rushing for 200 yards and passing for 250. I hope we can pick up this year where we left off last year in our last two games. The key will be protection and I think we will be improved in that area this year. If we are, we can be more balanced.

“Defensively, I expect us to again be a unit that runs to the ball and makes plays. Everyone talks about our linebackers, and they are very good, but so is the secondary and defensive front. Everyone knows A.J. Hawk is one of the top linebackers in the country. I’m not sure everyone knows how good (cornerback) Ashton Youboty is.

“I expect a stiff test this week. Miami is a good, veteran football team that has been to big stadiums before and knows how to win. We are focused on this game.”

BUCKEYES ENJOY ACADEMIC SUCCESS
A league best 22 Ohio State football players were named to the Big Ten’s All-Academic team last fall, marking the third year in a row the Buckeyes have led the conference in that area. Additionally, a record 44 Ohio State football players qualified for last spring’s annual OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner, which requires a grade-point average of 3.00 or better for the past academic year. As a team, the Buckeyes have an overall GPA of 2.82.

HAWK PRESEASON PICK
Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk was chosen as the Big Ten preseason defensive player of the year in early August by members of the media attending the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon in Chicago. The 6-1, 240-pound Hawk won consensus All-America honors last year when he led the Buckeyes in total tackles with 141. Hawk, bidding to join Andy Katzenmoyer as the school’s only Butkus Award winners, enters the season with 273 career tackles and ranks 16th on the all-time Ohio State list.

CALL HIM THE ULTRA BACK
Sophomore Ted Ginn is listed at flanker for the Buckeyes, but that only tells part of the story. Last year, as a true freshman, Ginn also lined up at tailback and quarterback in addition to returning punts. This year, expect him to also return kickoffs and play some defensive back in addition to his other duties.

“Teddy is a terrific weapon and we want to get the ball in his hands as often as possible,” Tressel said. “The majority of his play will come on offense, but he gets a great break on the ball so there will be times in the red zone where we will utilize him on defense, too. With Maurice Hall (the school’s all-time leader in kick return yardage) gone, we will use him on both punt and kick returns. He and Santonio (Holmes) give us two very dangerous weapons back there.”

SOME POSITON CHANGES TO NOTE
Brandon Smith, a redshirt freshman from Euclid, Ohio, has moved from linebacker to tight end and has switched from No 54 to No. 87. Smith’s move was necessitated by the loss of Rory Nicol who is out with a foot injury. The 6-3, 240-pound Smith currently is listed behind starter Ryan Hamby. Additionally, a slimmer and trimmer Brandon Schnittker (250 down to 236) has moved from fullback to tailback, and redshirt freshman Shaun Lane from cornerback to tailback. Senior Robbie Sims, the Buckeyes starting left tackle the past two years, will move to left guard.

“Robbie was a good tackle, but he will be a much better guard,” predicts Tressel.

HUSTON COMPLETES DEGREE
Kicker Josh Huston was one of 23 Ohio State student-athletes to receive an undergradutate degree Sunday. With a degree in real estate and urban development already completed, Huston will begin work on another undergrad degree in pyschology when fall classes begin in late September.

THE BUCKEYES ALL-TIME
Ohio State enters the 2005 season with an all-time record of 765-298-53 in 115 seasons of competition. That includes a Big Ten record of 418-161-24 since 1913, an Ohio Stadium slate of 355-101-20 since 1922 and a bowl mark of 17-19.

COACH Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel is beginning his fifth season as head coach at Ohio State. His record with the Buckeyes is 40-11 and his career record is 175-68-2 (.718) in 19 previous seasons as a head coach.

Tressel took over the Buckeyes in 2001, directing them to a 7-5 record that year. In 2002, he led Ohio State to a 14-0 record and the school’s first consensus national championship since 1968 and was nearly everyone’s choice as National Coach of the Year following the season. In 2003, the Buckeyes won their first five games to extend their winning streak to 19 and finished with an 11-2 record. Last year’s squad, which had to replace 14 NFL drafted players, won five of its last six games en route to an 8-4 finish.

Tressel’s teams have appeared in four Bowl games and are 3-1 in those contests, including back-to-back BCS wins in the Fiesta Bowl. They also are 3-1 against Michigan in one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all of sport.

Eight of Tressel’s players have won first-team All-America honors and three have won major awards, including kicker Mike Nugent, last year’s recipient of the Lou Groza Award as the best place-kicker in college football.

Tressel is a master in close games. Since coming to Ohio State, he is 16-7 in games decided by a touchdown or less and 4-1 in overtime games.

He is at his best against the best with a 16-5 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 and a 6-1 mark against teams ranked in the Top 10.

The 52-year-old Tressel is a 1975 graduate of Baldwin Wallace College.

CAPTAINS NAMED
Linebacker A.J. Hawk, center Nick Mangold, safety Nate Salley and offensive guard Robbie Sims are the 2005 captains. The four seniors were elected by a vote of their teammates. Hawk and Mangold are both from Centerville, Ohio (as is Mike Nugent who was one of last year’s co-captains and Kirk Herbstreit, who captained the 1992 team). Salley is from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Sims from Macedonia, Ohio.

MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Linebacker A.J.Hawk heads into his senior year with 273 career tackles, a total that ranks him 16th on the all-time Ohio State list. Should Hawk put up numbers comparable to the past two seasons, he will wind up fourth in OSU annals, behind only Marcus Marek (572), Tom Cousineau (569) and Chris Spielman (546).

In the receiving department, junior Santonio Holmes currently ranks 15th on the all-time OSU list with 87 total receptions. Buster Tillman (1993-96) is 14th with 88 and Bobby Olive (1987-90) holds down the No. 13 spot with 91.

Sophomore Ted Ginn Jr. set Ohio State single-season and career records for punt returns for touchdowns last year with four. He also set the school single-season and career records for average yards per punt return by averaging 25.6 yards on his 15 returns last year. The latter figure led the nation in 2004.

THE ROOKIE CLASS
There are two true freshmen in the depth chart this week both on defense. Malcolm Jenkins (Piscataway, N.J.) is listed behind Tyler Everett at one cornerback and Jamario O’Neal (Cleveland, Ohio) behind Donte Whitner at strong safety. O’Neal also is the starting nickel back.

COACHING STAFF ADDITIONS
There are two new faces on the Ohio State coaching staff this year, both on the defensive side of the ball. Tim Beckman has taken over as the cornerbacks coach and Paul Haynes has assumed the role of safeties coach. Beckman comes to Ohio State from Bowling Green where he spent the past seven seasons. Haynes, who grew up in Columbus and played at DeSales High School, was at Michigan State the past two years.

OTHER COACHING CHANGES
With the departures of defensive coordinator MarkSnyder for Marshall and MelTucker for the Cleveland Browns, veteran OSU assistant Jim Heacock has been elevated to defensive coordinator and Luke Fickell to co-defensive coordinator. Additionally, wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell will now serve as assistant head coach. This will be the second-consecutive year that the Buckeyes have started the season with a new defensive coordinator, but Heacock is a former head coach who is in his tenth season at Ohio State and Fickell is in his fourth year on Tressel’s staff.

THEY WILL BE UPSTAIRS
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels will be in the press box for the Buckeyes during the game as will cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.

ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
Last season, Miami (Ohio) finished 8-5 overall and 7-1 in the Mid-American Conference. It won the 2003 MAC championship, has won two-consecutive MAC East Division titles and has made trips to the GMAC and Independence bowls. Shane Montgomery takes over as coach of the RedHawks for Terry Hoeppner, who left after last season to coach the Indiana Hoosiers.

A year ago, the Miami offense scored 31.3 points and amassed 399.7 total yards per game, while limiting opponents to 22.9 points and 338.8 yards of total offense each game. The RedHawks averaged 279.6 yards through the air compared to 120.1 yards on the ground. Luke Clemens was the leading rusher with 12 touchdowns and 69.2 yards per game. Josh Betts, who returns to lead Miami, threw for 23 touchdowns and 3,495 yards, hitting Ryne Robinson for four scoring strikes and 932 yards and Michael Larkin for eight touchdowns and 832 yards. Robinson returns this year as a junior. Matt Pusateri led the RedHawks with 97 total tackles, while John Busing had 93, Terna Nande had 86 and Derek Rehage had 79.

A MAC slate that also features games against Kent State, Northern Illinois, Akron, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, Bowling Green and Ohio, gets underway next Saturday against Central Michigan. The RedHawks also meet Cincinnati and Temple in non-conference action.

MIAMI’S LAST GAME
Miami (Ohio) could not hold off Iowa State’s rushing attack and surrendered a fourth-quarter lead in a 17-13 loss Dec. 28, 2004 in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. Trailing 10-0 late in the first half, Luke Clemens caught a 28-yard TD pass from Josh Betts with 25 seconds before the half. Miami took a 13-10 lead in the third quarter when Mike Smith scored from 2 yards out, but gave up the lead in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard TD run with 13:02 to play. Miami had one last chance after stopping the Cyclones on fourth-and-one at the RedHawks’ 35-yard line, but a Betts pass was picked off, giving Miami its third loss in nine bowl games. Iowa State rushed for 295 yards and had two players run for more than 100 yards apiece

MIAMI COACH SHANE MONTGOMERY
First-year Miami (Ohio) head coach Shane Montgomery was named the school’s 32nd head coach just moments before the team took to the field in the Independence Bowl last December.

The former offensive coordinator succeeded Terry Hoeppner, who had accepted the head coach position at Indiana University only two weeks earlier. A native of Newark, Ohio, who won two state championships at Newark Catholic, Montgomery went to Miami in 2001 from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he had served in several capacities from 1993-2000.

Montgomery began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at N.C. State from 1991 to 1993. As a player with the Wolfpack from 1985-89, he was a three-year letterwinner and All-ACC quarterback in 1989. He also was the offensive MVP of the 1988 Peach Bowl and the 1989 Copper Bowl.

NEXT WEEK
The Buckeyes continue their four-game home stand by hosting the University of Texas in the first meeting between the two national powerhouses. Kickoff is set for 8:08 p.m. in sold out Ohio Stadium. ABC will televise the game nationally. ESPN’s GameDay will be in Columbus, so will the ABC studio crew and ESPN Radio’s version of GameDay.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
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