He’s a fifth-year senior and a three-year starter at Ohio State. However, he’s almost an afterthought at his position.
Tight end Rory Nicol has been a solid player throughout his career and is focused on having his best season in his final go-around. His backup – junior Jake Ballard – gets more publicity and many consider him a future NFL prospect.
From the Buckeyes’ point of view, they are just fortunate to have two veteran tight ends they are confident in. Nicol and Ballard have been the top two players at the position for the last three years and this could be the season they put it all together.
“I think we’ve got two talented guys,” Nicol said. “I think as far as being in-line blockers, as a combination, we’re pretty good. There’s a lot of times we’re asked to man-up that edge on our own and we’ve been successful. We pride ourselves on that.
“And we’re both capable receivers. When we get our chances, we make our plays in practice. Jake got vertical a few times last year and hopefully that is something we’ll grow with this year.”
Ohio State used a lot of two tight end formations last season and more of the same is expected this year. Nicol thinks the Buckeyes will mix things up a lot – starting with the season opener against visiting Youngstown State on Saturday (noon, Big Ten Network) – but power formations will always be a staple of the offense.
“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll run with two tights each game,” Nicol said. “Brandon Smith has been playing fullback and being in two tight ends with one back, or being with one tight end and a fullback is a pretty similar deal. We’re just trying to get the best 11 out there.”
Nicol finished the 2007 season fourth on the team with 16 receptions for 84 yards (5.2 yards per catch). Ballard had 13 catches for 149 yards (11.5) and two touchdowns.
So, are roughly 29 combined receptions about right for OSU’s top two tight ends, or can fans expect more this season?
“Every year we’re optimistic about it,” Nicol said. “Hopefully this year it will be our way of surprising fans, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Nicol knew he wasn’t going to be one of OSU’s captains this year, but he still prides himself on being one of the players that the younger guys look up to.
“I think the challenge every year is becoming more of a leader,” he said. “I want to help lead these younger guys and you just have to realize that the good time you have here is running out and you want the tradition to carry on. You want to be a leader. I personally want to have the best season I’ve had to this point and I just want to be able to do everything that I’m capable of doing. You just have to go out there every week with the mentality that, ‘This is one of 12 games guaranteed.’ You don’t have many more opportunities here and you want to make the most of them.”
Boone not bummed that he’s not a captain
Ohio State’s four captains – Todd Boeckman, Malcolm Jenkins, James Laurinaitis and Brian Robiskie – were fairly obvious choices. The two players “on the bubble” to some extent were linebacker Marcus Freeman and left tackle Alex Boone.
However, the free-spirited Boone says he was not down in the dumps when the voting did not go his way. In fact, he was expecting it.
“No, no,” Boone said. “I was talking with my mom a couple weeks ago and she said, ‘Do you think you’re going to be a captain?’ And I said, ‘Nah, I joke too much; I’m not too serious.’ But I wasn’t disappointed at all. I look up to those guys. They are great leaders and they do a great job and I’m really proud of them. I voted for all four of those guys. And actually, I thought Marcus deserved to be in there too, so I wrote down an extra one. They’re great leaders, great guys and they’re going to do a great job.”
Ohio State’s offensive line is expected to be very good this season, especially the hulking left side that includes Boone and guard Steve Rehring. Boone thinks that if he and Rehring work hard enough, they can be dominant together.
“Absolutely,” Boone said. “Me and Steve are going to have to have a talk this week about what we’re trying to accomplish this year. But at the same time, we’ve got to be focused and ready to go. Eyes on the prize, always.”
Boone was one of the players that had an opportunity to go to the NFL early after last season. However, he said he was never really close to leaving OSU.
“Not really,” he said. “It was more about, ‘What do you like best?’ Going to the league was not what I wanted – I wasn’t ready to be an adult. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to be an adult, but I didn’t want it to end now. So, I was just like, ‘I want to stick around a little longer.’ And I don’t know how this place would be without me. It might be too serious around here.”
While other players have shied away from admitting it, Boone says the main reason he came back was to win a national championship.
“Absolutely,” he said. “We’ve done a lot and we’ve accomplished a lot since we’ve been here. And to come back and try and get that one last go-around, that is what really made us come back.”
Beanie happy with Herron
Junior tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells suddenly has a new understudy. Entering the year, the backup tailback was expected to be either sophomore Brandon Saine, or senior Maurice Wells. But due in part to injuries to them, as well as the strong play of redshirt freshman Daniel “Boom” Herron during preseason camp, Herron will open the season as the No. 2 tailback.
“He has stepped up,” Chris Wells said. “Boom is a tremendous athlete. He is a guy that is 195 pounds that runs like he’s 250. He runs extremely hard and he’s very gifted.”
So the nickname fits, huh?
“It does, exactly,” Wells said.
And the preseason Heisman Trophy candidate says he’s not taken off guard that Herron has elevated his status in the eyes of the coaching staff.
“It’s not a surprise at all because early in the year last year everyone knew what type of guy Boom was,” Wells said. “Honestly, I don’t know why they redshirted him.”
It’s hard to imagine Mo Wells being anything but disappointed that he’s not the No. 2 tailback. But if that’s the case, Chris Wells hasn’t noticed.
“I don’t know,” Chris Wells said. “But I don’t think so because Mo is a team player. He is never selfish about anything.”
Chris Wells also discussed Saine who was expected to play a big role this season, but an injury (believed to be a hamstring) has held him back.
“I think (the injury) has bothered him a lot,” Wells said. “I don’t think it’s bothered him physically, but more mentally. He wanted to be out there with the team and getting reps.”
The good news for Chris Wells is that the Akron native is healthy entering the season. Last year, he opened the season with a sprained ankle and he battled it all year. Then he broke a bone in his hand late in the year. And there are sure to be more nagging injuries down the line, but at least to start the year he’s healthy.
“I feel great,” Wells said. “No lingering effects from last year’s injuries, just ready to go Saturday. It’s incredible. To feel as good as I do right now… I mean, you’re never going to be completely healthy playing running back, or football in general. But I feel really good.”
Wells also feels good about Ohio State’s new starting fullback: Brandon Smith. The fifth-year senior knows the offense extremely well from being the Buckeyes’ No. 3 tight end the past two seasons.
“Exactly,” Wells said. “When you’ve got a guy like Brandon that wants to be on the field no matter what it takes, no matter what the position, it’s just great to have. He’s going to be a big part of our team.”
Conventional wisdom says that running backs prefer to have a fullback in front of them to help clear the way. But Wells says he doesn’t have a preference between one-back sets and two-back sets with a fullback.
“Honestly, it really doesn’t matter,” he said. “I just love having the football in my hands.”
Hartline on Sanzenbacher, more
One of the stars of OSU’s camp was sophomore wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher who began to take hold of the No. 3 WR job. Starting wide receiver Brian Hartline shed some light on why Sanzenbacher has been a standout.
“Yeah, that’s kind of the talk – he’s had one of the best camps and he’s doing really well,” Hartline said. “He’s added some moves to his repertoire. He’s doing a really good job. He’s got a great understanding of the offense and now he’s to the point where he can start helping coach the younger guys too. By coaching the other guys, it kind of helps you coach yourself. He’s doing a great job and he’s really coming on in that No. 3 or No. 4 spot.”
While all indications are that Sanzenbacher has won the No. 3 spot, Hartline says there is still a competition between Sanzenbacher and junior Ray Small.
“I know for sure that both Dane and Ray are rotating in and out,” Hartline said. “As far as which one they are going to start with, or play the most, I don’t know. But they’ll probably get pretty equal time.”
Hartline also discussed the differences he’s noticed in senior quarterback Todd Boeckman who has a year of starting experience to lean on.
“He’s a captain now, which is great,” Hartline said. “He had my vote. I think any time you get a year of experience under your belt, it helps you have a good offseason because you can watch yourself to know what to expect. Now he’s not going in blind. There’s a lot (of positives) when you’ve done it before that he’ll automatically possess. The errors will be lower. I think his reads will be that much more clear. He’ll be more determined and precise about where he wants the ball and there won’t be any hesitation.”
Hartline fully expects to see freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor play against YSU.
“Yeah, I expect to see him on the field,” Hartline said. “In what kind of situations, I don’t know. I know more specifically probably earlier in the year (is when he’ll play the most) for sure. It could taper off as the year goes on, but I don’t know.”
Penguins have Buckeyes’ full attention
Given two major factors – Ohio State’s early struggles in a 38-6 win over Youngstown State last year, and Michigan’s loss to Appalachian State last year – Ohio State is taking this Saturday’s game against the Penguins very seriously.
“I think from last year we learned we better come out firing,” Nicol said. “Last year we came out a little stiff and they stopped us I think a total of seven plays down on the goal line. We were really at best average last year in our first game. The lesson that we’re taking from that right now is that we’ve got to be as good as we’re capable of being at this point right away.
“You’ve got to come out ready to play. And we know they’ve got good players over there. The Appalachian State game kind of put a sour taste in their (Michigan’s) entire season last year.”
Added Boone: “Any team can win on any day and that was proven last year. If we come out here and we’re lolly-gagging and we’re thinking, ‘USC, USC,’ that is what’s going to happen. We’re going to have a Michigan-Appalachian State. But I think the team is doing a great job of focusing on the game now and really concentrating on YSU.”
Chris Wells explained what the Buckeyes are hoping to accomplish on Saturday, other than coming out with a win.
“Just be on point,” he said. “Bring our ‘A’ game and play hard. That’s the main thing. The coaches or anyone else can’t ask for anything more if you play hard. We want to go out there and play dominant football and that’s something that we focused on this offseason. We want to go out there and finish each game like it’s our last.”
Wells was asked how many games last year OSU brought its “A” game.
“There were a lot of games when we played great for a half or a quarter,” he said. “I don’t know off-hand exactly how many games there were, but there were a few games when we didn’t go out there and perform from start to finish.”
Wells says that watching what happened to Michigan last year helps the Buckeyes get extra focused for YSU.
“It does,” he said. “Because it shows that on any given Saturday any team can win. No matter what conference you’re in, or what division you’re in, you’ve got to bring it if you want to win.”
As for Hartline, he has a bit of an uneasy feeling about the season opener. He thinks the Buckeyes are going to win of course, but he’s not exactly making any big predictions. He just wants to win and move on.
“Until that game is over, I’ll feel better then,” Hartline said. “They are team that, if anything, they have the advantage because if anything we’re going to sleep on them. Which I don’t think is going to happen. Everyone points back to Appalachian State-Michigan and that’s a valid point. So, that’s kind of the only way I see it.”
