Notes and Quotes From Day Two at Fall Football Camp – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/10/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 10, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A cool morning with gray skies greeted the nation’s ninth-ranked college football team for the second three-a-day practices of the season Tuesday, and it was followed by a midday workout that was equally as comfortable with a nice breeze blowing out of the southeast and a 10-minute rain-shower. By the start of the 4:50 p.m. practice, however, the skies were still partly cloudy but the weather was a more normal 80-plus degrees and somewhat humid. Never-the-less: the practices this day were spirited and the Buckeyes appear to be a group of players who are close-knit and ready to perform as a team.
In the Offensive Line Huddle
Coach John Cooper and offensive coordinator/line coach Mike Jacobs have two holes to fill along the offensive line: at left guard and at right tackle. The first six practices have seen junior Mike Gurr manning the left guard spot vacated by Rob Murphy and junior Henry Fleming patrolling at right tackle in place of Brooks Burris. Tyson Walter, Kurt Murphy and Ben Gilbert are fixtures at left tackle, center and right guard, respectively. Gilbert was second-team all-Big Ten and the OSU coaches’ choice as the team’s offensive lineman of the year. Walter was honorable mention all-Big Ten. Murphy was a District 5 Academic All-American. Behind them: sophomore Ben Pulfer at left tackle, junior Tam Hopkins at left guard, senior Drew Elford at center, red-shirt freshman Scott Kuhnhein at right guard and sophomore LeCharles Bentley at right tackle.
Lucky No. 13
Junior flanker Chad Cacchio doesn’t figure things can be any unluckier for him. That’s why he didn’t mind when he was issued a new jersey number: 13. “It has got to be lucky,” Cacchio, one of those fighting for playing time at receiver, said. “I can’t have any worse luck.” Cacchio has dislocated his right shoulder two times – the first time in the fall of 1997 and the second time this spring – with shoulder surgery in between. Each dislocation came at a time when Cacchio was stepping up on the practice fields. So far, despite a stiffness in the shoulder that won’t allow him to throw a baseball, Cacchio is back in action and catching passes.
Kickoff Classic Stuff
The Kickoff Classic against the 12th-ranked Miami Hurricanes at Giants Stadium is only 19 days away. Ohio State won a coin toss Feb. 25th and elected to be the home team. When they take the field, the Buckeyes will be trimmed out in their white jerseys with scarlet numbers, names and stripes. The team will utilize the north sidelines, across from the pressbox.
Buckeye Leaves and FYI
The best receptions of the day were made by true freshmen DrewCarter and Ricky Bryant. Carter was cruising across the field whenhe twisted and caught a ball that was behind him. Bryant made afully extended, fingertip grab on a slant pattern. Tyson Walter iseasing his way back into practice after back surgery this spring.The big junior participated in only two of the practices on Mondayand again on Tuesday. He says he’ll probably start three-a-daypractices “on Wednesday.” Freshman quarterback Craig Krenzel on theamount of information Ohio State quarterbacks are required tolearn: “It’s not just learning it. It’s making it habit.”
Tuesday’s “Quotes”
Head Coach John Cooper
“We don’t have a quarterback, a left guard, a middle linebacker or a strong safety yet.”
“We’re plugging along. These are the dog days of camp.”
“The grind will get to these guys. We just haven’t been in camp long enough. What happens in fall camp is these guys come in here with enthusiasm, spirit and fresh legs. The next thing you know, we work ’em and work ’em and they get tired and even more tired. We get them to a point to where they wonder – ‘can we beat anybody?’ But that’s the nature of the game. We take them down, down, down and they reach that lowest point. Then we rest them. They get their legs back. They get fresh. And then they are ready to play.”
“These guys are in good practice condition. But they are not in game condition yet. This only happens once you start to play in some games.”
So. QB Steve Bellisari
“The second day is going well. We’re still a little rusty and everything is still coming together and clicking. But overall, everything is starting to smooth out. We’re getting rid of the wrinkles here and there.
“Both freshmen receivers are looking very good. Ricky (Bryant) and Drew (Carter) are doing very well. They are picking up everything and running good routes.”
So. QB Austin Moherman
“It feels good to be back in camp and to get back in the swing of things. Right now we’re just concentrating on fundamentals. We seem to have picked up right where we left off in the spring. The rust has come off pretty easy. Now it’s just a matter of getting back into that daily groove.
“There’s some good guys [freshmen receivers] out there. Receiver-wise, from what I’ve seen, they’ve picked up the offense pretty well. They’re pretty good.”
Sr. DE Matt LaVrar
“Camp is good so far. Everyone is just trying to get back into the swing of things. Tomorrow will be a big day when we put on the pads. That’s when we’ll really feel like we’re back.”
Sr. FS Gary Berry
“I’m pretty sore. Coach Cooper worked us hard. But it’s all in preparation to get ready for the season. I’m going to ice my legs, go out and do it again.
“The team looks good. As the days go on, we’ll get even better.
“The defense looks good. The first day, we were all a little rusty. We’re steadily improving and getting better.”
Sr. FB Matt Keller
“The first time back, pounding heads, will always make you sore. Tomorrow will probably be even worse. You give it two days, that’s when you’ll really be sore. But once you get up and get loose, you’re fine. Getting out of the bed in the morning is the toughest part.
“The young receivers are doing really well. All the quarterbacks, even the freshmen, are all throwing pretty well. It’s good to see these younger guys coming in and not accepting the fact that they are freshmen. They want to play and they’ve been doing well.”
-GO BUCKS!-
