OHIO STATE FOOTBALL Doss sacrifices stats for title

He could have been in the NFL this year or making a lot of tackles at the line of scrimmage.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Mike Doss almost gave up his senior season to make himself eligible for the NFL draft. Now he recognizes what he might have lost -- and what he has gained -- by coming back to Ohio State.
"I came in 1999 with the No. 2 recruiting class in the country," the strong safety said after the Buckeyes beat Michigan to cap a 13-0 regular season. "We always said when it was our turn we were going to play for a national championship. We had faith."
Mission accomplished, faith justified. The second-ranked Buckeyes play No. 1 Miami in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3 for the national title.
Doss decided to return to the Buckeyes at the last second, even as he was preparing to step to the podium to announce his decision last January. He broke down sobbing, his shoulders shaking, as he talked about the sacrifices his mother had gone through back in his hometown of Canton.
Rededicated self
He has rededicated himself -- some say he's completely transformed himself -- to make his senior year a success.
Doss had perhaps his finest season in an Ohio State uniform, mainly because he learned to rein in his talent. Doss, a vicious hitter, caused numerous fumbles in his first three seasons by rushing to the line to unload on a running back.
But because he tried to make big plays all the time, he also was burnt on several huge plays that cost the Buckeyes games. He still is haunted by the 64-yard bomb from Drew Brees to Seth Morales with 1:55 remaining that gave Purdue a 31-27 victory two years ago that cost the Buckeyes a shot at a Big Ten title.
This year he learned to rely on his teammates more, play within the system and wait for the action to come to him. For the first time since his freshman year, he did not lead the team in tackles.
"Mike kind of set that example," defensive back Will Allen said. "He showed us that for the team to win, some players are not going to get the stats that they need. And look where we are now. Every game and every week somebody is going to make a big play and it's not going to always be the same person. For Mike to realize that and understand that, it shows his character."
Allen said that Ohio State's best players had to buy into being unselfish.
"That really helped us out for them to humble themselves and realize that they're not bigger than the team," he said.
Three-time All-American
As a result, Doss' resume grew bigger and he may have improved his draft status. He will leave as only the seventh three-time All-American at Ohio State.
"That is special," he said. "I never dreamed about that. It shows you the hard work. You've got to be blessed too, to stay injury-free to have those kind of seasons. You just try to take it step by step and have some fun."
Doss freely acknowledges that during the dog days of August workouts or while lifting weights in February, his mind sometimes wandered to where he might have been.
"Being a human and having dreams and aspirations, you're always going to think about what might have happened if you had changed your mind or made a different decision," he said. "You think, 'Maybe I could be in an NFL camp.' But that's part of life. You make decisions and then you live with the decisions you make."
He laughs as he says the only thing he really missed by not turning pro was having some extra money in his pocket.
"Maybe I could have afforded a few more PlayStation games." Doss said. "That would have been good."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said he recognized last spring that Doss wouldn't just go through the motions in his final year.
Tressel's seen effort
"He's in a kick scrimmage on the last play of the game hurtling his body through the air trying to block the kick," Tressel said, grinning as he shook his head in disbelief. "That's what I've seen from him. What has gone through his head? I'm sure at some point someone has whispered to him, 'Mike, you might get hurt.' But I haven't seen that in action."
There have always been doubters surrounding this Ohio State -- and there still are. The Buckeyes are a double-digit underdog against the Hurricanes, in part because of the number of close scrapes they survived during their unbeaten run.
"We are there. We're where we want to be. It doesn't matter whether we won by one or 100," Doss said. "The teams that make it to the national championship are considered the top two teams in the country. We belong."