Football Camp Notes – Day 10 – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/19/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 19, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The University of Miami began to come to the forefront of everyone’s mind as the Buckeyes took the field Thursday morning with training camp winding down. There were less fundamental conditioning drills and more game-planning activities in preparation for the Hurricanes. Fittingly enough, an electric thunderstorm rolled into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center around 11 a.m., cutting practice short by a few minutes.%^$
%^$Muscle Men
%^$Two former Ohio State players and disciples of the conditioning program set forth by OSU Strength Coach Dave Kennedy were honored by Muscle and Fitness magazine today. Seattle Seahawk Joey Galloway and Tennessee Titan Eddie George – both of whom return to Columbus each summer to work with Kennedy – were selected as having the “Best Physiques in the NFL” by the magazine. The former Buckeyes were two of only nine players selected in the NFL.%^$
%^$Kickoff Countdown
%^$Only 10 days remain until the Kickoff Classic. The Ohio State ticket office has sold out of its allotment of Kickoff Classic tickets, going through over 21,000. Tickets in the third level of Giants Stadium, at a cost of $22, are still available by calling Ticketmaster at (201) 507-8900.%^$
%^$Butkus Watch List Announced
%^$The Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, which annually presents the Butkus Award to the nation’s best collegiate linebacker, included two Ohio State players on its preliminary Award watch list. Na’il Diggs (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.) and James Cotton (Sr., Cleveland, Ohio) are two of 65 early candidates for the award. Former Buckeye Andy Katzenmoyer became only the second sophomore ever to win the Butkus Award in 1997, and remains the Ohio State player ever to earn the honor.%^$
%^$Morning Practice Notes
%^$Under cool, overcast skies that eventually led to showers, the Buckeyes began the day in smaller groups with their position coaches. Receivers coach Chuck Stobart worked on precision route running and tossed to his wideout corps, offensive coordinator Mike Jacobs focused on footwork with the linemen, and assistant coach Bill Conley organized kickoff coverage drills. The wide receivers later got some stiff competition from the starting Ohio State defensive backs in more drills, and the practice ended with some full 11-on-11 drills pitting the first team offense versus the scout team defense and the first team defense versus the scout team offense.%^$
%^$Evening Practice Notes
%^$The evening practice came under warm, sunny skies and consisted mainly of extremely competitive 11-on-11 drills. The standouts? Wideout Ken-Yon Rambo with several acrobatic sideline catches, safety Gary Berry with glue-like coverage and several pass break-ups, and true freshman defensive back Richard McNutt with a long interception.%^$
%^$John Cooper Quotes
%^$On Thursday’s practice…
%^$”It was another day. It was all right. We’re in a routine right now. We’re tired of going against each other. After tomorrow, everything we go against will be Miami, Miami, Miami.”%^$
%^$On the physical condition the Buckeyes…
%^$”In two-a-days, you go down, down, down, and we’re about as low as you can go. Now, after tomorrow, we’re going to start going back up. Our guys are banged up. We’ve been pounding on each other pretty good.”%^$
%^$On how the Buckeyes will battle Miami’s speed on defense…
%^$”It’s hard to simulate. That’s the biggest problem we run into. We don’t have that kind of speed on the scout team.”%^$
%^$On the starting lineup…
%^$”There are several positions, not only quarterback, that it will be at least the first of next week until we decide. And even then, we plan on playing a lot of players in that first game.”%^$
%^$Is your defense this year as fast as in year’s past?
%^$”Andy (Katzenmoyer) was very fast. I don’t know if we can replace that. Our secondary will be fast this year. We might gain a little speed with whoever takes Jerry’s (Rudzinski) place.”%^$
%^$What is the benefit of playing in the Kickoff Classic?
%^$”I like the game because it gives you more practice. Period. If we weren’t playing that game, we probably would be coming to camp right now. Maybe we would’ve started last week. Obviously you get the exposure, and that’s a big plus too. What better place or time to showcase your football team on national television?”%^$
%^$On Micheal Wiley…
%^$”If we didn’t have Michael Wiley last year, David Boston wouldn’t have caught 85 passes. Joe Germaine wouldn’t have thrown for 300 yards in eight games. You can’t be one-dimensional. The defensive coordinators in this league will eat you alive.”%^$
%^$On Jonathan Wells and any surprises of fall camp…
%^$”I love Jonathan Wells. I think he’s really going to have a great season, based on what we’ve seen in the spring and the fall. He will make Michael Wiley a better player. A guy that’s also really starting to come in is Jerry Westbrooks.”%^$
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-GO BUCKS!-
