COMMON GROUND : DIFFICULT OFFSEASON SHOWS PARALLELS AS TEAMS STRUGGLE.Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer Ohio State linebacker Na'il Diggs Na'il Diggs (born July 8, 1978 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American football linebacker who currently plays in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Ohio State University. was preparing for a preseason workout when he learned UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX had suspended seven starters for two games because of the disabled-parking scandal. His reaction: a mixture of surprise and sympathy. It wasn't a pleasant offseason in Columbus, either. Academics, not parking placards, were the talk of the town and reflected a team in transition. A team with unproven players on defense and a quarterback platoon. A team desperate to shake a loss to Miami. A team, in sum, that looks very much like UCLA. Ohio State's turmoil began last spring when junior guard Rob Murphy Robert Albert (Rob) Murphy (born May 26, 1960 in Miami, Florida) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1985 through 1995, Murphy played for the Cincinnati Reds (1985-88), Boston Red Sox (1989-90), Seattle Mariners (1991), Houston Astros (1992), St. , a consensus All-American, was declared academically ineligible and released from his scholarship. Then in midsummer, two reserves and six incoming freshmen became academically ineligible. Three of the freshmen were expected to contribute this season. Finally, a few days before the Aug. 29 Kickoff Classic The Kickoff Classic was a season-opening college football game played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey from 1983 to 2002. History In 1978, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates and schedules events at Giants Stadium, decided to against Miami, starting linebacker Courtland Bullard was suspended for one game for violating team rules, and reserve linebacker Chris Kirk became academically ineligible for the season. Dazed daze tr.v. dazed, daz·ing, daz·es 1. To stun, as with a heavy blow or shock; stupefy. 2. To dazzle, as with strong light. n. A stunned or bewildered condition. and depleted de·plete tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes To decrease the fullness of; use up or empty out. [Latin d , the Buckeyes lost 23-12 and dropped out of the top 10. ``The freshmen definitely could have helped and we missed Courtland in that first game,'' Diggs said. ``I know UCLA misses its guys, too. It's been tough. Hopefully, we can rebound.'' The parallels don't stop with summer suspensions. Both UCLA and Ohio State were one quarter away from playing for the national title last year: for the Bruins, the fourth in Miami; for the Buckeyes, the fourth against Michigan State. Both teams must replace their best defensive players, their best offensive lineman and most important, their starting quarterbacks. As UCLA searches for Cade McNown's successor, Ohio State hunts for Joe Germaine's heir. Saturday night, while the Bruins rotate Drew Bennett Andrew Russell Bennett (born August 26, 1978 in Berkeley, California) is an American football player in the National Football League. Bennett plays wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams whom acquired him as an free agent on March 3, 2007. and Cory Paus, the Buckeyes platoon Austin Moherman and Steve Bellisari Steve Bellisari (born April 21, 1980 in Boca Raton, Florida) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Voodoo of the Arena Football League. Bellisari is best known as an Ohio State University Buckeye from 1998 to 2001. . At least the Bruins have picked a starter (Bennett). Buckeyes coach John Cooper John Cooper can refer to:
A community of southern California southeast of Irvine. It is mainly residential. Population: 96,300. , was more effective against Miami. ``I'd have loved to have played UCLA last year,'' Cooper said. ``It would have been a shootout Shootout Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. .'' For all the parallels, there is one significant difference between the teams: One team is UCLA and one is Ohio State. Where the Buckeyes are, the Bruins want to be. The Buckeyes have won 43 games in the last four years and played in five consecutive New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. bowl games. They've produced 13 All-Americans and 11 first-round draft picks in the last five years. Put another way, since 1995 the Buckeyes have had more first-round draft picks than the Bruins have had draft picks. Summer suspensions and rookie quarterbacks might be a viable excuse in Westwood but not in Columbus - not when your associate athletic director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic is the only two-time Heisman Trophy Heisman Trophy Annual award given to the outstanding college gridiron football player in the U.S. The trophy was instituted in 1935 by New York City's Downtown Athletic Club and was officially named the following year for the club's first athletic director, the player-coach winner, Archie Griffin Archie Mason Griffin (born August 21, 1954) is a former American football running back and college football's only two-time Heisman trophy winner. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Ohio State Buckeyes and is the only player ever to start in four Rose Bowls. , and not when your stadium abuts Jesse Owens Plaza, which intersects Woody Hayes Drive. The Buckeyes have lived this predicament before. They won 11 games in 1995, then lost quarterback Bobby Hoying, tight end Ricky Dudley, receiver Terry Glenn and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George to the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga . The following season, they again won 11 games and beat Arizona State in the Rose Bowl. That's not rebuilding. It's not even reloading Reloading A term lenders commonly use to refer to the habits of borrowers taking out loans to repay the balance on other loans. Often reloading is done to take advantage of lower interest rates offered by other loans, and potential tax benefits. . It's just pulling the trigger again and again - and not many programs can do it. ``It doesn't matter if all 22 starters are freshmen and sophomores,'' Diggs said. ``The fans still expect a Big Ten title every year, and the coaches and players expect no less.'' Which explains public reaction to Ohio State's uninspired Kickoff Classic. Letters to the Columbus Dispatch last week described Cooper as a ``dumb hick from Tennessee'' and said he should be ``arrested for impersonating a football coach.'' Was the Miami loss an aberration or a sign of weekly struggles to come? It depends not only on the quarterbacks but on the players expected to replace linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer and four 1998 All-Americans: Murphy, receiver David Boston, safety Damon Moore and cornerback Antoine Winfield. The Buckeyes lost more talent in one season than most programs lose in a decade. ``We don't have players as good as Boston, Winfield, Katzenmoyer or Germaine,'' Cooper said. ``Those guys were the best at their positions. That's the reason there's so much uncertainty.'' Nowhere more than at quarterback. Moherman is a classic pocket passer with a good arm and little mobility. Bellisari is mobile but an inconsistent passer. Unlike UCLA's rookie quarterbacks, they don't have proven receivers. The prime targets, Reggie Germany and Ken-yon Rambo, have just 32 career receptions and five touchdowns. Of course, nothing cures early-season troubles like a week off and then 90,000 crazies in Ohio Stadium - where the Buckeyes haven't lost a nonconference game in nine years. Katzenmoyer or no Katzenmoyer, Germaine or no Germaine, suspensions or no suspensions, the Buckeyes are gifted. ``We should be coming together more in the UCLA game,'' safety Gary Berry said. ``The Miami game was early. Morale is up. The intensity's better. If we play our hearts out, we can get into midseason form in no time.'' Just what UCLA doesn't want to hear. LONG TIME, NO SEE Saturday will be the seventh meeting between the Bruins and the Buckeyes and the first in 19 years. Ohio State leads the series 3-2-1. Here are the reults of the teams' previous six meetings, with national rankings entering each game: Year Result 1980 No. 11 UCLA 17, No. 2 Ohio St. 0 1979 No. 14 Ohio St. 17, No. 17 UCLA 13 1976 (Rose Bowl) No. 11 UCLA 23, No. 1 Ohio St. 10 1976 No. 4 UCLA 10, No. 8 Ohio St. 10 1975 No. 2 Ohio St. 41, No. 13 UCLA 20 1961 No. 8 Ohio St. 13, UCLA 3 OHIO STATE: A CLOSER LOOK Enrollment: 48,000 Stadium: Ohio Stadium (capacity: 89,841) 1998 record: 11-1 Top returnees: Quarterback Austin Moherman; tailback Michael Wiley; defensive end Brent Johnson; linebacker Na'il Diggs; cornerback Ahmed Plummer. Strengths: Tailbacks and powerful offensive line make for a punishing running game. Defensive line returns four starters from 1998 and is one of the best in the Big Ten. Athletic linebackers and secondary. Concerns: Unproven quarterbacks and receivers. Two linebackers and two defensive backs are new. Secondary looked confused against Miami. Key to the game: The team that establishes a consistent running game to take pressure off its rookie quarterbacks has a huge advantage. CAPTION(S): photo, 2 boxes PHOTO (color) Ohio State offensive guard Rob Murphy, blocking, was declared academically ineligible. Chris Kasson/Associated Press BOX: (1) Long Time, No See (see text) (2) Ohio State: A Closer Look (see text) |
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