OSU’s Shugarts has mixed-bag day in first start

By TIM MAY

COLUMBUS — Block O, the student version, makes its first appearance of the season Saturday when Ohio State plays host to Illinois.

The other Block O, the touted trio of blue-chip offensive linemen the Buckeyes signed in 2008, made its first extended on-field appearance last week against Toledo.

“It’s the beginning of something that’s going to last for the next couple of years,” said the trio’s central figure, center Michael Brewster. “We’ve got to get better, but we’re going to work hard at it.”

What made it a sophomore quorum were the simultaneous appearances of right tackle J.B. Shugarts, making his first start, and left tackle Mike Adams, finally cleared to play last week after serving a two-game suspension for undisclosed reasons.

However, it wasn’t as if the sophomores combined with guards Justin Boren and Bryant Browning to rip through Toledo on every snap. In fact, Shugarts was whistled for three false-start penalties, sullying his day.

Even though Shugarts thought only one of the penalties was justified, he said he treated them as learning moments. That is, after he questioned an official about one.

“I told him I’ve been coaching 35 years, and I’ve never heard an offensive lineman question an official’s call like that,” OSU coach Jim Tressel said. “That wasn’t good.

“But he was anxious, and he tried to be quick. Obviously we have to eliminate that. Justin had one as well. We can’t have those.”

Otherwise, Shugarts rebounded.

“He played hard the whole game, no matter what happened with the penalties,” Browning said. “He never put his head down, [he] learned what he did wrong, and just kept fighting.”

Shugarts gained the starting nod at right tackle after senior Jim Cordle was sidelined by an ankle/foot injury that’s expected to keep him out for an extended period.

“Jim is a great guy, a great leader, a great coach — he was helping me during the game,” Shugarts said.

But now the Buckeyes are leaning on Shugarts to fill the void.

“I love the pressure, I love they are counting on me,” Shugarts said. “This is what I came here to do. I came to play football, to win games.”

Andrew Miller started at left tackle as Adams worked his way back into the good graces of the coaches. But this week, the two are bracketed as first-teamers, meaning either could start.

The objective, though, remains the same for both tackle positions, Tressel said.

“I thought J.B. did some good things; he’s a young guy playing a tough position,” Tressel said. “These [defensive] ends, as we head into Big Ten play, are going to be good ones, so he’s got to progress — as does Mike, as does Andrew. It sure helps to be good at tackle.”

Adams wasn’t available for interviews this week.

Shugarts said he is eager to live up to the billing as a member of Block O. In fact, he said, that goes for the team.

“I think this team is going to play with a chip on our shoulder all the way through the Big Ten, just because of all the criticism we get, how people don’t believe in us,” Shugarts said. “I think we’re going to bring it as hard as we can every game; playing nasty, playing fierce.”