Navy No Easy Opener for No. 6 Buckeyes; Post-Practice Interviewsþ

Well I decided today that I'm still going to post articles about Ohio State even though Todd Boeckman is graduated. After all this is an Ohio State blog too. Saturday is the season opener and I think everyone is excited for that.

By Rusty MillerAssociated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- This much is certain when it comes to No. 6 Ohio State's recent series of opening-game opponents: Navy is no Youngstown State.

While the Penguins were almost grateful to open the season at Ohio Stadium the last two seasons, the Buckeyes recognize that Navy won't be nearly so star-struck.

The Buckeyes opened with 38-6 and 43-0 routs of Youngstown State, the only Football Championship Subdivision team Ohio State has ever played.

Navy is at another level.

"We've got a great Navy team coming in week one," offensive guard Bryant Browning said. "First off, those guys have won a lot of games. They go to bowl games, and they win. We're usually facing, I guess you could say, a lesser opponent sometimes -- you could say it that way. But Navy is not one of those teams. They're going to come in here looking for a big upset."

Ohio State's contest against Navy on Saturday -- the first regular-season meeting between the teams since 1931 -- is not expected to be so lopsided as recent debuts for the Buckeyes

"Navy's no pushover," quarterback Terrelle Pryor said. "And you know they're going to be tough. They serve our country. You also got to appreciate that too because they serve our nation and protect us."

There are also a couple of other reasons why the game could be a problem for the Buckeyes.

For one, the Midshipmen's triple-option attack is something foreign to a defense that regularly faces spread attacks.

"Whenever you play someone like Navy it raises the urgency because you can't look at them and say, 'Well, I know what they do. Yeah, this is what they run. We know how to stop that,"' coach Jim Tressel said. "Plus our guys have a tremendous respect for the people who choose to go into that particular world. You've got to be courageous and our guys know that. ... It'll be an eye-opener for us."

For another, a date with No. 4 Southern California, which ravaged the Buckeyes 35-3 in SoCal a year ago, is looming a week later. The Buckeyes know they can't be distracted by that, since they'll likely have their hands full with the Midshipmen.

Unlike Youngstown State or the Mid-American Conference schools the Buckeyes usually open against, the Midshipmen won't be intimidated by the more than 100,000 in attendance. They've played on big stages and in big games, winning their last 13 against Army and Air Force to take the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy the last six years.

Apparently, Ohio State's fans have noticed.

Tressel said that athletic department officials have told him that there is as much or more interest in Navy tickets as any game on the Buckeyes' schedule. He hinted that the Ohio Stadium record attendance of 105,711 could be eclipsed.

A typical cupcake in the opener wouldn't draw nearly so much attention.

Navy returns 25 letterwinners and 13 starters from a team that went 8-5 last season, led the nation in rushing for an NCAA-record fourth-consecutive season (292.4 rushing yards per game) and went to the EagleBank Bowl, losing 29-19 to Wake Forest.

Junior quarterback Ricky Dobbs leads Navy's offense. He gained 495 yards and scored eight times a year ago.

All the Buckeyes are wary of the Midshipmen's option game.

"We haven't seen this since I've been here," linebacker Austin Spitler said. "The preparation has been unbelievable and the coaches have really stressed the importance of doing our 1/11th. Since it's something we haven't seen, it is a difficult situation."

And no easy way to open a season

ATH: With Honor Day 2: James Laurinaitis, Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalist

I just found this on http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/

Watch
Audio Slideshow: Football's James Laurinaitis Spoke to Columbus Youth






A week-long series on Ohio State's Big Ten Medal of Honor finalists continues today with a profile of football linebacker James Laurinaitis. A second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Laurinaitis, who earned his degree in March, was a standout in the classroom, winning the Lowe's Senior Class Award



James Laurinaitis is the most decorated linebacker in Ohio State history. A three-year consensus All-American, he won the 2008 Lowe’s Senior Class Award and the Lott Trophy as college football’s IMPACT Player of the Year which emphasizes integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity in a college defender. He was voted Big Ten defensive player of the year during both his junior and senior campaigns and won the 2006 Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player and the Butkus Award in 2007 as the top linebacker, all major awards and the most ever won by a Buckeye.



Laurinaitis was part of four Big Ten championship teams and four BCS bowls, twice playing in the national title game, setting a BCS record with 18 tackles in the national championship game against LSU. Laurinaitis never missed a game during his Buckeye career. He played in all 51 games during the last four seasons, started all 39 games the last three seasons, led Ohio State in tackles three straight years and finished his career seventh on Ohio State’s career tackle chart with 375, finishing just behind Buckeye greats such as Pepper Johnson, Chris Spielman and A.J. Hawk.



Part of the first Ohio State team to beat Michigan five consecutive years, he passed up the NFL after his junior season to return and complete his degree and collegiate career at Ohio State. A two-time team captain and a March honors graduate in communication, the Hamel, Minnesota, product was drafted by the NFL's St. Louis Rams with the third pick in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.



The Big Ten Conference Medal of HonorIn 1914 the Conference established a Medal of Honor to be awarded annually at each member institution to a student in the graduating class. An additional award for the top female was instituted in 1982. Chosen by the Athletic Council, the winners of this most prestigious award are the male and female senior student-athletes who have attained the greatest proficiency in both academics and athletics. This honor includes a $5,000 post-graduate scholarship which can be used at an institution of the recipient’s choice.



Ohio State’s men’s and women’s Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients will be announced at the 2009 OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner at the Columbus Convention Center Wednesday, May 20.