Day Eight Comes to a Close at Football Camp – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/17/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 17, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After surviving six strenuous three-a-day practice sessions, the ninth-ranked Buckeyes took the field on a sunny Tuesday morning with renewed energy. Talk of the scrimmage scheduled for that afternoon – where battles for starting spots will be won and lost – filled the air.%^$
%^$Kickoff Classic Creeping Up
%^$The Kickoff Classic is now just 12 days away. Tickets in the third level of Giants Stadium are still available at a cost of $22 by calling Ticketmaster at (201) 507-8900.%^$
%^$Kickoff Classic Record Book
%^$Two former Buckeyes have their names etched in the Kickoff Classic record book. Chris Spielman owns the mark for most tackles in a game (16 vs. Alabama in 1986), and Shawn Springs sprinted his way to the longest kickoff return ever in the Kickoff Classic (97 yards) in 1995 against Boston College.%^$
%^$Morning Practice Notes
%^$Dressed in Buckeye gear, Ohio State focused mainly on special teams in the early practice, conserving energy for the 4 p.m. scrimmage…Former Buckeye running back Raymont Harris and former OSU coach Earle Bruce both dropped by to watch the morning practice session.%^$
%^$Successful Surgery
%^$Defensive end James Cotton underwent successful surgery on a torn tendon in his right ring finger this afternoon. The injury was sustained late last week. The surgery took place at the OSU Medical Center and was performed by Dr. Joel Frazier. Cotton is not expected to miss any games, but will be held out of practice this week. He is currently wearing a cast on his right hand which will be removed this Saturday, and once returning to action, will wear a protective wrap when playing.%^$
%^$The Scrimmage – Hit of the Day
%^$Preseason All-American cornerback Ahmed Plummer greeted wideout Ken-Yon Rambo with a bone-jarring hit near the line of scrimmage after a quick out.%^$
%^$Catch-and-Run of the Day
%^$Chad Cacchio, complete with his new lucky number – 13 – grabbed a Steve Bellisari pass in traffic, spun to his left and broke two tackles while clawing the final seven yards of a 27-yard reception. Cacchio was impressive the entire scrimmage, and followed up his highlight-reel 27-yard catch with an equally impressive 24-yard reception.%^$
%^$Almost-Catch of the Day
%^$Wideout Reggie Germany made a spectacular, fully-extended catch along the sidelines on a Steve Bellisari bomb, but unfortunately was a mere six inches out-of-bounds. The play would have gone for nearly 55 yards.%^$
%^$Louisiana Lightning
%^$Sophomore tailback and Louisiana native Jonathan Wells bulldozed through would-be tacklers throughout the scrimmage, rushing for 50 yards on just seven carries. Wells had two runs for 14 yards each, a six-yard touchdown run, and a 12-yard reception out of the backfield from Austin Moherman.%^$
%^$The Rest of the Scorers
%^$Besides Wells, Chad Cacchio (six-yard TD reception), Reggie Germany (20-yard TD reception), and Ken-Yon Rambo (five-yard TD reception) all found the endzone in the scrimmage.%^$
%^$For Starters
%^$Dan Stultz began the scrimmage with some special teams work and displayed a strong leg, routinely sending the ball well into the endzone on kickoff attempts.%^$
%^$Sack Masters
%^$Kenny Peterson and Jason Ott each recorded a sack in Tuesday afternoon’s scrimmage. Brent Johnson and Heath Queen both notched a pair of sacks. %^$
%^$Quotes from Head Coach John Cooper
%^$On the scrimmage…
%^$”It was all right. It was a typical fall scrimmage. The guys are beat up a little and a little tired. As usual, some guys looked good and some guys didn’t look so good. We’re working with a lot of different combinations right now.”%^$
%^$More on the scrimmage…
%^$”I thought our receivers made some nice plays. I thought our running backs did a nice job. Jonathan Wells looked good. Defensively, I thought Ryan Pickett played well. Dan Stultz did a nice job kicking the ball.”%^$
%^$On the punt return situation…
%^$”Right now we’re looking at Gary Berry. We’re looking at Nate Clements. Basically, we’re looking at the same guys we had last year. We’re looking at Ken-Yon Rambo, Michael Wiley, and Jonathan Wells.”%^$
%^$On the offensive line…
%^$”You may see us rotate more people in on the offensive line this year, much like we do on the defensive line. I think the second unit on the offensive line is closer to being ready to play this year than in year’s past.”%^$
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-GO BUCKS!-
