Tressel: Playing old pals ‘tough’

OSU coach Jim Tressel said YSU coach Jon Heacock is like a brother to him.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

COLUMBUS — If you took a quick look around Ohio Stadium on Saturday, you could spot Troy Smith and Ted Ginn jerseys just about anywhere you looked.

Except on the field.

But Ohio State coach Jim Tressel didn’t need to look in the stands to see reminders of the past. He only had to look across the field.

“It’s tough when you play against your old folks,” said Tressel after the Buckeyes’ 38-6 victory over Youngstown State. “[Penguins coach] Jon Heacock is like a brother because he was with us for so long and meant so much to us.”

The Buckeyes entered Saturday’s opener having lost several key players to graduation or the NFL, including Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner, and Ginn, a top 10 pick in the draft.

They also entered with a lot of questions, among them:

UIs Todd Boeckman the answer at quarterback?

UIs running back Beanie Wells ready for a breakout season?

UAnd, most important, can Ohio State rebound from the devastating loss to Florida in the national championship game?

Tressel sees some positives

The answer to all three? A resounding maybe.

“I thought we did some good things,” Tressel said. “We knew Youngstown State would come in and they’d be a physical football team playing as hard as they could possibly play.

“They didn’t let us down from that standpoint.”

Boeckman, who won the job over Rob Schoenhoft in camp, looked good at times, completing 17 of 23 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns.

He missed a couple of open receivers and forced the ball at times, but he played turnover-free and managed the game well, the two most important traits a Tressel-coached quarterback can have.

“I think I made some good passes and some bad passes,” said Boeckman, a redshirt junior. “I’ve been waiting four years for this opportunity, and now that I have a shot at leading this team. I want to take advantage of it.”

Wells not as effective

Wells didn’t play as well, finishing with 16 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown. YSU deserves much of the credit for that, stuffing Wells on four occasions inside the 10 yard line.

As for the final question, who knows? OSU got a win and looked pretty good doing it, which was a start.

“We’ve got to improve in many, many ways,” Tressel said.

“I thought the kids played hard. and we’ve got a chance to keep progressing and become a good team.”

scalzo@vindy.com