Ohio State Fall Camp Notes – Day 12 – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/24/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
August 24, 1998
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The temperature has heated up in Columbus, in part to 90 degree heat and partly due to the fact that game one vs. West Virginia is just 12 days away. The Buckeyes have three-a-day practices today and tomorrow, will practice twice on Wednesday and then break camp on Thursday in preparation for the contest in Morgantown…under the CBS lights and on coast-to-coast national television. GO BUCKS!%^$
Coop Scoop: He’s Among Big Ten’s Best%^$
The Big Ten Conference released its winningest Big Ten football coaches (conference games only) with a 10-year minimum coaching stint and John Cooper is ranked fifth on the list. This list wasn’t included in the 1998 Big Ten Football Guide, but it shows that Cooper’s .725 Big Ten winning percentage (56-20-4 thru 10 years) trails only Bo Shembechler (.850; 143-24-3 in 21 years at Michigan), Fielding Yost (.796; 42-10-2 in 25 years at Michigan), Woody Hayes (.785; 152-39-7 in 28 years at Ohio State) and Fritz Crisler (.777; 42-11-3 in 10 years at Michigan). %^$
A Surprise Visitor%^$
Ten-year NFL veteran and 1975 Ohio State University graduate Doug France was on hand at Monday’s morning practice and had some brief words with the team. “Listen to your coaches. They won’t steer you wrong,” France told the Buckeyes. An all-Big Ten tight end for the Buckeyes in 1975, France played on three Ohio State Rose Bowl teams before embarking on his NFL career, which included all-pro honors and a Super Bowl appearance with the Los Angeles Rams. France played eight years at left tackle with the Rams and two years with the Houston Oilers. Now retired, he jogs 11 miles daily and has completed 13 marathon runs. He lives in Nellie Gail, Calif., and is currently in Dayton visiting his parents.%^$
Cooper Update%^$
Sophomore defensive tackle Joe Cooper, one of two returning starters on the defensive line, will undergo surgery Tuesday morning at OSU Medical Center to correct his broken right thumb. The out-patient surgery will be performed by Dr. Joel Frazier. Cooper’s practice availability will be determined on a day-to-day basis.%^$
I79 Construction Equals Delays%^$
Word out of Morgantown is that construction from Exit 6 to Exit 3 on Interstate 79 between Washington, Pa., where the Buckeyes are staying, and Morgantown is causing delays of up to two hours. The Atlanta Falcons stayed in Washington prior to their game in Morgantown against the Steelers Saturday night, and the game had to be delayed because the Falcons bus didn’t arrive until moments before kickoff. Travelers need to take note and plan accordingly. %^$
Head Coach John Cooper “Quotes” %^$
On the West Virginia game: “You work hard, try to have a good camp, try to stay healthy, you try to go in with a good game plan. We’ll go in there and have some fun playing ball. That’s what college football is all about.”%^$
On the game plan: “We are still in three-a-days right now. Once Wednesday rolls around, we’ll really start game planning for West Virginia.”%^$
On personnel decisions: “We’ll have some decisions to make up until game time. You may see some young guys move up or down the depth chart but that’s really about it.”%^$
All-American CB Antoine Winfield “Quotes” %^$
On West Virginia’s WRs: “I read in a couple of magazines that they [West Virginia’s pair of receivers] are supposed to be the best duo in the Big East and Ahmed Plummer and I are the best in the Big Ten. So we are looking forward to the challenge and its going to be a great game.”%^$
On WVU game preparation: “We started watching film on them yesterday as a team but we’ve all been watching them throughout the summer.”%^$
Thoughts on WVU: “You know they’re going to get Amos Zereoue the ball but I think they are going to try and challenge us on the corner. I look forward to them going deep on me. Zereoue is a great player. He’s quick, fast, has great moves and he’s a hard runner. He may be the best back we face this year.”%^$
On the WVU crowd: “It’s going to be crazy down there but we can’t worry about what their fans are doing. We’ve just got to go out and play the game.”%^$
– Go Bucks – %^$
