? Today at high noon, Navy will become the first service academy football team to play at Ohio Stadium since 1931.
To commemorate the occasion, Ohio State fans plan to give the Midshipmen a standing ovation as they take the field.
?We understand what they?re going through and what they?re doing for us and our freedom,? Buckeye linebacker Austin Spitler said. ?They?re not going on to the NFL. They?re going on to fight for our country. It?s important to respect these guys and understand where they?re coming from and what they?re doing for us.?
However, the 105,000-plus fans at ?The Horseshoe? surely would not provide as warm a welcome to Big Ten archrival Michigan or fellow national championship contender USC, which comes to Columbus a week from today. It?s much easier to cheer an opponent you expect to beat.
Ohio State has not lost a home opener in 31 years, beating up on lesser in-state schools such as Akron, Miami-Ohio and Youngstown State during that span. Navy is receiving a $1.45 million guarantee to play the game, but has no intention of lying down like a sacrificial lamb.
?As a competitor, you never go into a game thinking you are going to lose. We know this is a huge challenge, but we believe in our hearts that we are capable of winning,? said Navy slot back Bobby Doyle, an Ohio native who grew up rooting for the Buckeyes.
Navy shouldn?t be intimidated by Ohio State or the potential record crowd. The Midshipmen own 13 victories over Bowl Championship Series opponents since 2003. Utah is the only other non-BCS school with that many.
?I definitely don?t expect our players to be overwhelmed or intimidated by the atmosphere. We?ve played a lot of big games over the years ? played in bowl games, played in NFL stadiums with large crowds,? Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
All the papers that cover Ohio State football - the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the Columbus Dispatch and Canton Repository ? have called Navy the toughest season-opening opponent since 2002. That?s the year Ohio State turned back Texas Tech and its prolific passing attack, 45-21. The Buckeyes have outscored their last five season-opening opponents 177-38 ? an average of 35-7 per game.
Some wonder whether the campaign to give Navy a standing ovation prior to the game and all the talk from Ohio State players and coaches about showing respect for the service academy could rob the home team of its killer instinct. Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said respect should not be construed as mercy.
?The greatest respect you can give a competitor is to compete just as hard or harder,? Tressel said. ?That?s what a competitor wants. The greatest respect you can give is to play over year heads and out of your minds. I can tell you that?s what we?ll have to do in order to beat Navy.?
This marks the first time in Tressel?s nine-year tenure that Ohio State has faced a team that employed the triple-option offense. Navy is the acknowledged master of the unique attack, having led the nation in rushing five of the last six years.
Tressel is quite familiar with the offense, having seen it several times while he was head coach at Youngstown State and Paul Johnson was head coach at Division I-AA rival Georgia Southern. He downplayed the fact Ohio State?s had all summer to prepare.?There is never enough time to get ready for this offense. It?s just so tough to emulate in practice. Your defenders don?t really know what they?re in for against this offense until they?re out on the field,? Tressel said. ?Navy runs the option with such precision. They play fast, they play hard and they play tough. Our guys need to stay on their feet. If they don?t, we?re going to be in trouble and it?s going to be a long day.?
Tressel appears to have succeeded in making his defenders understand that stopping the option requires every man to stick to his assignment. ?Our mantra has been ?Play your 1/11th, do your job.? Where you get in trouble against this kind of offense is when someone tries to do too much. You?ve got to cover your responsibility and trust the other 10 guys to cover theirs.?
Much of the focus today will be on the quarterbacks. Ohio State sophomore Terrelle Pryor is the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and future NFL Draft choice. Pryor compiled a 9-1 record as a starter last season, ranking second on the team with 631 yards rushing and leading the conference in completion percentage (100-for-165, 60.6).
?Terrelle got great game experience and spent the offseason evaluating the tape. From a fundamentals standpoint and in terms of his base of knowledge, Terrelle is way ahead of where he was last year,? Tressel said. Navy players and coaches have heaped praise on Pryor, a dynamic dual-threat quarterback who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds. However the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder is not the only concern.
Dan ?Boom? Herron will debut as the starting tailback in place of Chris ?Beanie? Wells (St. Louis Cardinals). Dane Sanzenbacher takes over as leader of the receiving corps in place of Brian Robiskie (Cleveland Browns).
?Ohio State is always stacked with athletes. Terrelle Pryor isn?t the only one on the team that we need to worry about,? Navy safety Wyatt Middleton said.
Meanwhile, the Ricky Dobbs era officially kicks off this afternoon amid much anticipation among Navy fans. Dobbs showed flashes of brilliance while filling in for injured seniors Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and Jarod Bryant last season. The Georgia native is now the undisputed leader of the offense and must live up to his billing as the best combination of running and passing ability Navy has seen during the triple-option era.
?I?m anxious to see how I respond to the responsibility. I feel confident that I can go out and do my part to help the team win,? Dobbs said. ?I can?t wait to get out there and get started.?
To commemorate the occasion, Ohio State fans plan to give the Midshipmen a standing ovation as they take the field.
?We understand what they?re going through and what they?re doing for us and our freedom,? Buckeye linebacker Austin Spitler said. ?They?re not going on to the NFL. They?re going on to fight for our country. It?s important to respect these guys and understand where they?re coming from and what they?re doing for us.?
However, the 105,000-plus fans at ?The Horseshoe? surely would not provide as warm a welcome to Big Ten archrival Michigan or fellow national championship contender USC, which comes to Columbus a week from today. It?s much easier to cheer an opponent you expect to beat.
Ohio State has not lost a home opener in 31 years, beating up on lesser in-state schools such as Akron, Miami-Ohio and Youngstown State during that span. Navy is receiving a $1.45 million guarantee to play the game, but has no intention of lying down like a sacrificial lamb.
?As a competitor, you never go into a game thinking you are going to lose. We know this is a huge challenge, but we believe in our hearts that we are capable of winning,? said Navy slot back Bobby Doyle, an Ohio native who grew up rooting for the Buckeyes.
Navy shouldn?t be intimidated by Ohio State or the potential record crowd. The Midshipmen own 13 victories over Bowl Championship Series opponents since 2003. Utah is the only other non-BCS school with that many.
?I definitely don?t expect our players to be overwhelmed or intimidated by the atmosphere. We?ve played a lot of big games over the years ? played in bowl games, played in NFL stadiums with large crowds,? Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
All the papers that cover Ohio State football - the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the Columbus Dispatch and Canton Repository ? have called Navy the toughest season-opening opponent since 2002. That?s the year Ohio State turned back Texas Tech and its prolific passing attack, 45-21. The Buckeyes have outscored their last five season-opening opponents 177-38 ? an average of 35-7 per game.
Some wonder whether the campaign to give Navy a standing ovation prior to the game and all the talk from Ohio State players and coaches about showing respect for the service academy could rob the home team of its killer instinct. Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said respect should not be construed as mercy.
?The greatest respect you can give a competitor is to compete just as hard or harder,? Tressel said. ?That?s what a competitor wants. The greatest respect you can give is to play over year heads and out of your minds. I can tell you that?s what we?ll have to do in order to beat Navy.?
This marks the first time in Tressel?s nine-year tenure that Ohio State has faced a team that employed the triple-option offense. Navy is the acknowledged master of the unique attack, having led the nation in rushing five of the last six years.
Tressel is quite familiar with the offense, having seen it several times while he was head coach at Youngstown State and Paul Johnson was head coach at Division I-AA rival Georgia Southern. He downplayed the fact Ohio State?s had all summer to prepare.?There is never enough time to get ready for this offense. It?s just so tough to emulate in practice. Your defenders don?t really know what they?re in for against this offense until they?re out on the field,? Tressel said. ?Navy runs the option with such precision. They play fast, they play hard and they play tough. Our guys need to stay on their feet. If they don?t, we?re going to be in trouble and it?s going to be a long day.?
Tressel appears to have succeeded in making his defenders understand that stopping the option requires every man to stick to his assignment. ?Our mantra has been ?Play your 1/11th, do your job.? Where you get in trouble against this kind of offense is when someone tries to do too much. You?ve got to cover your responsibility and trust the other 10 guys to cover theirs.?
Much of the focus today will be on the quarterbacks. Ohio State sophomore Terrelle Pryor is the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and future NFL Draft choice. Pryor compiled a 9-1 record as a starter last season, ranking second on the team with 631 yards rushing and leading the conference in completion percentage (100-for-165, 60.6).
?Terrelle got great game experience and spent the offseason evaluating the tape. From a fundamentals standpoint and in terms of his base of knowledge, Terrelle is way ahead of where he was last year,? Tressel said. Navy players and coaches have heaped praise on Pryor, a dynamic dual-threat quarterback who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds. However the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder is not the only concern.
Dan ?Boom? Herron will debut as the starting tailback in place of Chris ?Beanie? Wells (St. Louis Cardinals). Dane Sanzenbacher takes over as leader of the receiving corps in place of Brian Robiskie (Cleveland Browns).
?Ohio State is always stacked with athletes. Terrelle Pryor isn?t the only one on the team that we need to worry about,? Navy safety Wyatt Middleton said.
Meanwhile, the Ricky Dobbs era officially kicks off this afternoon amid much anticipation among Navy fans. Dobbs showed flashes of brilliance while filling in for injured seniors Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada and Jarod Bryant last season. The Georgia native is now the undisputed leader of the offense and must live up to his billing as the best combination of running and passing ability Navy has seen during the triple-option era.
?I?m anxious to see how I respond to the responsibility. I feel confident that I can go out and do my part to help the team win,? Dobbs said. ?I can?t wait to get out there and get started.?
