Article published April 03, 2008
Buckeyes' talent pool runs deep Wilson likely to replace Gholston
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - The Ohio State Buckeyes exited the 2007 season and turned the page to 2008 with a nearly full personnel account. So much of the Big Ten championship team that won 10 straight games last year and advanced to the national title game was back, it was clearly a case of the rich just staying rich, before they started work on getting richer.
The liabilities appeared to be very few - one spot along the offensive line, one at fullback, and a position on the defensive front. That latter post belonged to Vernon Gholston, an All-American who was the Big Ten's best defensive lineman. Gholston left Ohio State a year early and should be one of the first names called in the upcoming NFL draft.
So for the Ohio State defense - specifically the big dogs up front - the primary task during the current spring football workouts is to figure out life after Gholston, who had a school
record 14 sacks last season.
Lawrence Wilson, who is likely to replace Gholston, said there is a considerable cavity without the Detroit native on the depth chart.
"He will be greatly missed," Wilson said. "He was the best defensive lineman last year, and him leaving can be a big toll on the team. However, we know we have to work even harder to fill that void."
A healthy Wilson is the first significant step in adjusting to the loss of Gholston. Wilson suffered a broken leg in the 2007 season opener against Youngstown State and missed the rest of the year. Repaired, healed and rehabbed, Wilson is an athletic package of power and outside speed - the same basic components that the Buckeyes had in Gholston.Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock is currently looking at Wilson, along with sophomores Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson, in different configurations at the ends. Gibson has been moved to end from linebacker.
Senior Nader Abdallah, juniors Todd Denlinger and Doug Worthington and sophomore Dexter Larimore work inside up front.
"We have two different looks [up front]," Heacock said. "One is with Lawrence at one end and Cameron at the other end, and we are also working Thaddeus Gibson in there. I really wanted him to get some reps in that spot."
In a number of areas, Heacock had the nation's best defense in 2007. The Buckeyes allowed only 2.5 yards per rush to the opposition and an average of just 82.8 rushing yards a game. The group gave up only three rushing touchdowns and registered 43 sacks, but Heacock is not talking about maintaining the status quo.
"We need to be more dominate as a defense and we need to get tougher up front," Heacock said. "We need to get better everyday. We have to get a better up front and improve our turnover margin."
Denlinger said the group is working on improving its pass rush all along the line, and not relying so much on the ends to create the mayhem in the
offensive backfield. He repeated one of the mantras of Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who puts a premium on forcing the opposition to function under stress.
"We just need to work at getting more pressure as a team, and it all starts with us on the defensive line," Denlinger said. "Last year the defensive tackles only had about four or five sacks, and we need to triple that this year. We need to collapse the pocket. So often we were just trying to get up field, and now we know that we need to get inside and work as a four-man unit in order to break down the protection."
Abdallah, who helped tutor Heyward, Larimore and Worthington as they became regulars in the playing rotation, said that with the experience from last year, and with a solid foundation in place, the defensive front should become a more diverse and sophisticated unit.
"All of the guys have seen
action now, and it is more about just expanding our overall knowledge of the game and just gaining a better overall grasp of the game," Abdallah said. "We just need to get better every day."
Worthington said that although it is only April, there is an environment present in the Ohio State spring camp that has the Buckeyes approaching their workouts with a real sense of purpose.
"We want to keep getting better on both sides of the ball," Worthington said. "We have an urgency to improve, and everyone is stepping up. It is easy to see how hungry the young guys are, and how much they want to want to improve. Every day, we are getting ready for next year. It is hard to lose someone like Vernon Gholston, but each guy has really stepped up."
Contact Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6510.
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