Buckeyes’ Boeckman trying to regain form for title game

He was outstanding in Ohio State’s first 10 games, but struggled in the final two.

COLUMBUS (AP) — For 10 games, Todd Boeckman looked downright Heisman-like as Ohio State’s first-year starting quarterback.

After closing the season with a pair of games in which he played about like a bronze statue, the Buckeyes hope Boeckman can return to form heading into their game against LSU for the Bowl Championship Series national title.

“He probably didn’t have as consistent a games in the last two as he did in the first 10,” coach Jim Tressel said of his junior quarterback. “But he’s the kind of guy, he’s going to study it and he’s going to go back and work on his fundamentals.”

The quarterback position is a concern for many Ohio State fans these days, ever since Tressel stunningly revealed that Boeckman’s backup, Robbie Schoenhoft, has been working out at tight end. That means third-stringer Antonio Henton — suspended earlier this season before pleading guilty to a minor misdemeanor — apparently is now the backup for the bowl game.

Boeckman was leading the Big Ten and was sixth in the nation in passing efficiency through the first 10 games, all wins by top-ranked Ohio State.

Heading into the Nov. 10 game at home against unranked Illinois, Boeckman had completed 66 percent of his passes for an average of 197 yards, with more than two TD passes and less than an interception a game.

Some were even whispering that Boeckman might be just as good as the man he replaced, Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens.

Then over the last two games — a 28-21 loss to the Illini and a 14-3 win at Michigan — Boeckman looked like a scared rookie. He completed 56 percent of his passes over those two games, for a total of 206 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns.

Boeckman said he and Tressel, a former college quarterback, looked at film and noticed that he was opening up his stance too much when throwing to his left. That led to interceptions, which then caused him to lose his confidence.

“Maybe I got down on myself too much at the end,” Boeckman said.

“At the beginning of the season I was making mistakes and bouncing right back. At the end I wasn’t bouncing back as quickly. You can’t let a turnover affect your entire game. I’m going to shrug those off.”

Even with the sour finish to the regular season, Boeckman has been surprisingly good for the Buckeyes.

Remember, he came in having spent the last two seasons watching Smith take almost every snap, and had thrown just 10 passes in six mop-up performances.

Yet his 2007 numbers still are comparable to those of Ohio State’s most exalted recent quarterbacks.

Boeckman completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,171 yards with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 12 games.

A year ago, Smith completed 65.3 percent for 2,542 yards and 30 TDs with six picks in 13 games. Craig Krenzel, who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national title, completed 59.4 percent for 2,110 yards with 12 TDs and 7 interceptions in 14 games.