Boeckman built to endure a pounding

This is an old yet good article.



Boeckman built to endure a pounding


Columbus -- Troy Smith made plays with his legs last year. Todd Boeckman is doing it with his abs.


A year after the 6-0, 215-pound Troy Smith quarterbacked the Buckeyes into the national title game and won the Heisman Trophy with regular displays of spectacular shimmies, creating a highlight reel by turning broken plays into big plays, Boeckman's signature move during a 3-0 start is getting smoked.

While Troy Smith evaded pressure, the 6-5, 243-pound Boeckman absorbs it.

Among his moments to remember entering Game 4 Saturday against Northwestern -- his second completion of the year, a 41-yard deep ball to Brian Ro biskie just before a Youngstown State defensive tackle folded him in half; and a first-down pass to Brian Hartline against Washington last Saturday before taking a blow from a free blitzer who came in untouched.

"Toughness is a big part of being a quarterback," Boeckman said. "You've got to stand there and make those plays and make the guys believe in you."

As the offensive line adjusts to a quarterback they know will stay in his place, the Buckeyes are believing Boeckman, who has completed 45 of 71 passes (63.4 percent) for 574 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions, can do the job his way

Despite Jim Tressel's pointed assertion that Boeckman runs a faster 40 time than Troy Smith, Todd is not Troy.

"I'm not the shiftiest person," Boeckman said. "As you probably noticed, it takes a little bit for me to get going. I'm not that guy who's going to shake and do stuff like that."

That is obvious to all, even Tim Boeckman, father and high school coach of the new OSU quarterback.


"Todd's not a runner," Tim Boeckman said. "We know that. But everybody wanted another Troy Smith, and I think that made it difficult going into the season. Troy was. . . . wow. Todd's his own quarterback."


That means using his size as a weapon, or at least as a shield. Boeckman said he remembers his welcome-to-the-position moment, during a scrimmage as a high school freshman when an avalanche of defensive linemen knocked the wind out of him after a screen pass. As he progressed at St. Henry High, his father said his stature allowed him to face down defenders, because so many of them were smaller than he was. Now that the defenders have grown, Boeckman still stands his ground.

"He made that one throw to Hartline after getting popped pretty hard," fullback Dionte Johnson said, "and it showed down the line he'll be able to make good throws and that he's poised and calm back there. But we have to keep the hits off him

Johnson gets angry when his quarterback takes a shot, and he said it's not uncommon for the blocker who let in the tackler to apologize to Boeckman after the film is graded and the error is apparent. Sometimes they offer to buy dinner to make up for it -- though no one has paid up yet.

"Hopefully something is coming here soon," Boeckman said with a laugh.

His best bet is to protect himself with the quarterback workout put together by OSU director of football performance Eric Lichter, who tailors exercise programs for each position.

A key for the quarterbacks is a move, instead of a typical bench press, that involves balancing on their backs on an exercise ball and using two dumbbells in their lift. That works their shoulders separately, and the unsteadiness of the ball forces the quarterbacks to constantly tighten their abdominal muscles to keep from falling off.

With television cameras rolling during an interview this week, Boeckman declined an offer to show off his six-pack

"It's not that good," he said with a smile. "I don't want to embarrass myself."

Lichter proudly mentioned that Ohio State's three scholarship quarterbacks average 239.7 pounds, almost 10 pounds heavier than the average Buckeye linebacker. He said those core muscles in a quarterback's trunk are crucial for getting snap and power on a throw when firmly planted, and also for creating the wall for a charging linebacker to smack in to.

"Todd's got the body for it," Lichter said. "He's almost 245 pounds and he's 14 percent body fat, so it's not like he's heavy. But he's big and strong, and when you're that big, you should stand in there and take hits because you're not just going to do down like a pile of bricks."

Even if he does go down, if the pass gets off and gets caught, that's a tradeoff Boeckman is willing to make. The pass to Hartline against the Huskies set up a field goal that put the Buckeyes up, 3-0. But plays like that are remembered for more than just the score.

"That was a good sign, when they're really coming steaming and no one's blocking them," Tressel said. "He was waiting for the route to break open and he stood tall. Not every guy will do that."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Two of the stalwarts of the Ohio State offense, seniors Ben Person and Todd Boeckman are both students and fans of the gridiron game. Today, in another of our multi-part series with various members of the Ohio State team, the two share some thoughts on the 2008-09 bowl season.

BCS bowl game match-up you are most interested in watching?

Ben: The championship game and the Rose Bowl.

Todd: The Rose Bowl.

Non-BCS game(s) that have the potential to be fun to watch?

Ben: The other games with Big Ten teams.

Todd: Every game with a Big Ten team.

Entering the bowl season there were two unbeaten BCS teams: Utah and Boise State. Who wins had they been matched?

Ben: Utah.

Todd: Too close to tell.

Oklahoma or Florida?

Ben: Florida.

Todd: It’s going to be a great game. It could go either way.

What moments or plays or personalities stand out from the first two Ohio State vs. Texas games?

Ben: In 2005, how loud the stadium was when it erupted on A.J. Hawk’s interception.

Todd: Those were both exciting games. The atmosphere in both stadiums was unreal.

Is there any Southwestern food that you can’t wait to dig into while in Arizona?

Ben: A Fatburger.

Todd: I will probably stick with the same things I eat at home.

What is the University of Phoenix Stadium like?

Ben: A very interesting place – it’s amazing how they can slide the field out of the stadium. Todd: Big, nice and great to play in.

Catching Up With Todd Boeckman

I found this video today and thought I'd post it. Its from last year but its a good video to watch anyways!

Ohio State in bowl games - Tressel Era (2001-08)

I thought this was kinda interesting. Looks like Ohio State has a winning record, lets hope it stays this way! Now we all have something to brag about to our friends who are always rooting for the "other" team. :)

Jan. 1, 2002 Outback Bowl: South Carolina 31, Ohio State 28

Jan. 3, 2003 Fiesta Bowl (National Championship Game): Ohio State 31, Miami (Fla.) 24 2OT

Jan. 2, 2004 Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State 35, Kansas State 28

Dec. 29, 2004 Alamo Bowl: Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7

Jan. 2, 2006 Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20

Jan. 8, 2007 BCS Championships Game: Florida 41, Ohio State 14

Jan. 7, 2008 BCS Championship Game: LSU 38, Ohio State 24

Get Your FREE Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Desktop Wallpaper Now!

Sorry for the lack of post when ever I update my other blog I always forget to update this one too!

So all of us know that Ohio State is going to play in the Fiesta Bowl on January 5th. So that's something to look forward too. But until then how about supporting your team with this free Ohio State Fiesta Bowl desktop wallpaper the information is listed below--


*Click the appropriate sized option below. When the new window opens, right click to save the photo or select the "Set as Background" option.

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I know my last post was titled "This is the game everyone looks forward too" and it is. The sad part is after the game, when you realize that the college football season is winding down. This was a great year! I wish that Boeckman would have got to play more but there's nothing I can do about it...it's over now. Todd might not have got to play as much as I wished he would have. But, Todd has something that a lot of players don't have class. Both on the field and off the field. I hope that he won't just be overlooked like so many players are; but instead he will be remembered as the "classy guy" who never complained even when he was replaced by a freshman after winning the Big Ten and leading his team to the National title game the year before. Todd is everything an athlete should be and more.

Taking 1 for the team

COLUMBUS - If it seemed like he had been around forever, that's because the Ohio football journey of Todd Boeckman spanned a full decade.
It began when he quarterbacked his St. Henry High School team to the Division V state championship game as a freshman back in the fall of 1999. It concluded yesterday with a backup appearance in the fourth quarter of Ohio State's 42-7 pounding of Michigan at Ohio Stadium.
In his swan song at the Horseshoe, Boeckman completed all three of his passes for 64 yards, including an 18-yard TD strike to Brian Hartline with 13:16 remaining to cap Ohio State's fifth straight win over UM.
The play drew a sizable ovation from the crowd of 105,564, a nice sendoff for Boeckman, who received a different response from impatient Buckeye supporters early this season.
"I guess, personally, it felt pretty good to get out there just to get that back," Boeckman said. "To know that you can still go out there and make some things happen. It feels good to have people on your side and wanting to see you succeed and do things well."
Boeckman's ride had its ups and downs. His St. Henry Redskins, for instance, never again qualified for Ohio's prep playoffs after 1999, this despite his career 7,021 passing yards and 64 TDs.
Boeckman enrolled part-time at Ohio State and became what was termed a "gray shirt," participating in preseason practice in August of 2003 in the wake of the Buckeyes' national championship season. He enrolled full-time in January of '04.
Following a red-shirt season in 2004, he backed up Troy Smith and Justin Zwick in 2005, and then was behind Smith during his Heisman Trophy season in 2006. That's when OSU closed the regular season 12-0 and ranked No. 1 before being humbled by Florida in the national championship game.
Last year, Boeckman's term as understudy expired. He took the keys to the Buckeye offense and earned first-team All-Big Ten quarterback honors, guiding OSU to an 11-2 mark and a second straight trip to the BCS title game, a loss to LSU.
Boeckman started his senior season (his sixth year on campus) with the shadow of a prize QB recruit - prep All-America Terrelle Pryor from Pennsylvania. - looming large.
The 6-4, 244-pound Boeckman had completed 191 of 299 passes for 2,379 yards and 25 TDs with 14 interceptions in 2007. But, after struggling in Ohio State's 35-3 loss at USC, he lost his starting job and never got it back.
"What was hard was not being out there with my teammates," Boeckman said. "They were out there celebrating winning games. I'm excited for everybody and excited for this team, and it was kind of tough for me not being out there with them."
The Pryor era began on Sept. 20 when the Buckeyes hosted Troy. Boeckman was relegated to clipboard duty during games, pressed into service helping Pryor learn the offense, and was dubbed by some as the "best backup quarterback in thenation."
"I had to help him because I had to do what's best for this football team," Boeckman said. "Terrelle's a phenomenal athlete. I'm looking forward to see what he can do in the future.
"You can't divide a team or separate a team when something like that happens. I just figured the best thing for me would be to be a team player and do what's best for the team. Terrelle did some great things out there this year, and he's getting better each and every week. I'm excited for him."
Still, it was a bitter pill for Boeckman in his sixth year at OSU.
"When anybody loses their job to somebody else, it's going to be tough," he said. "But that's something you've got to fight through. If this is one of the worst things in my life that happens to me, I'll feel pretty good about myself.
"It's a great honor to be a part of this football team, and it's an even better honor to beat Michigan like this."
As rough as the ride was, the end came on a good note.
"It was very emotional being out there," Boeckman said. "It's been a tough year for me, but it felt pretty good to get out there and throw [for] that touchdown

This is the game everyone looks forward too...

This is the game that everyone looks forward to...
Arguably the best rivalry in all of college football – and that’s just in regards to the fans. Quite simply, don’t wear red in Ann Arbor, Michigan and don’t dare think about donning maze and blue in Columbus, Ohio. Ever.
This rivalry has been brewing since 1835, but many believe that the official fire was lit during the coaching days of Woody Hayes (OSU) and Bo Schembechler (U of M).

What kicked the hate?
Many believe that this rivalry stemmed from the two states battling over territory in 1835. The football rivalry has seemed to carry over from the Toledo War, which was a bloodless battle over the Michigan-Ohio border.

Who has the lifetime edge?
The Wolverines have a slight lead, note the word slight. The advantage was piled up during the early years of the rivalry. During the John Cooper years at Ohio State, Michigan built on their record as Cooper went 2-10-1 against the Wolverines. Lately, Jim Tressel has revived Ohio State's fortunes by compiling a 4-1 record against Michigan.