Article published December 25, 2008
Seniors could become winningest in OSU history
Linebacker Marcus Freeman (1), recovering a fumble against Michigan, is one of 28 seniors for No. 10-ranked Ohio State.
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THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - The finality of it all keeps bouncing around in the minds of the Ohio State seniors. This is it.
The Fiesta Bowl game with No. 3-ranked Texas in about 10 days is the last rodeo for 28 Buckeyes - their final curtain call. One more time sitting on the training table and getting the ankles taped, a last chance to carry that helmet and cinch up the pants. And just one more march in unison, with arms locked, onto the field of play.
"It's a special game, being the last one," OSU kicker Ryan Pretorius said. "Once the final whistle blows and we take off our jerseys for the last time, it's going to hit us then."
That group of 28 includes about a dozen starters, some special teams players, a few
Buckeyes who have seen action only in practice and the injured who have had their roles limited to providing emotional support.
With a win over Texas, they would also become the most successful collection of seniors in Ohio State history in terms of total wins. The current seniors have 43 victories over the past four years, tying them with the 1995-98 Buckeyes and the 2002-2005 group."This group has been not only a successful group and all that, but has been a very unselfish group," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said about his senior class. "It has been a group that's handled the good times well and handled the tough times well, and it's hard not to keep your focus right on them because they deserve that."
Tight end Rory Nicol, who like a number of his classmates is in his fifth year with the program after spending his initial season here as a redshirt, said the group has had a strong connection from the start.
"The important thing is we have always stayed together, and that family bond is the most amazing thing to me," Nicol said.
"We've won a ton of games, but I have so many great friendships here and so much respect for our coaches. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for what we've accomplished, and we've got a great opportunity in front of us now to go back out on the national stage and play against a great team."
Defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, who recently won the Jim Thorpe Award as the top player in the country at his position, said a victory on Jan. 5 in Arizona will be the best way to complete the legacy of this senior class.
"It would be the exclamation point," Jenkins said. "A win versus Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, as good as they are, would be the exclamation point to all the things this senior class has accomplished. There's a lot of things that have gone on the last four years that will go down in history, but a win would definitely put an exclamation point on all of that."
Wide receiver Brian Robiskie, who like Jenkins and several of their other fellow seniors could have left Ohio State following the 2007 season and likely gone on to the NFL, said the group will not let its performance be negatively impacted by the obvious emotional attachment they will bring to their final game.
"Obviously it's a lot of excitement, and there's going to be a lot of emotion just like there was for the guys that took part in senior day before the Michigan game," Robiskie said. "For a lot of guys - 28 seniors - this will be our last game getting a chance to wear these colors. I think it's just a matter of staying competitive, and that's what guys have done. There's no time to be sentimental."
Nicol said he thinks he speaks for all of the Ohio State seniors when he says the group has a powerful attachment to this city, the university and the program. He said they feel an obligation to represent the Ohio State tradition in the most positive manner when they gather in Phoenix on Monday to begin making final preparations to play Texas.
"I don't want to be done at Ohio State because I am just falling in love with the place. The older you get, the more you care about the place," Nicol said. "It's important for me to leave the program with what the program deserves. That's why I think it's important to win. This program has become a lot more important to me."
Contact Matt Markey at:
mmarkey@theblade.com
or 419-724-6510.
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