Buckeyes turn focus to covering kicks

By Tim May

The Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS

Ohio State might be No. 2 in the polls, but it’s likely coach Jim Tressel and his staff zeroed in on being No. 113 in kickoff coverage this week as they started preparation to face Ohio University.

Not that the Buckeyes should press the panic button, said Shaun Lane, even after giving up an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 79-yard punt return for a TD in the 36-24 win over Miami.

“I don’t think it’s anything they really need to worry about, because I could see there were just two or three people out of position, which set up those plays,” Lane said.

Lane should know. The former Hubbard standout excelled on special teams through his senior season with the Buckeyes, in 2008. His last college play, in fact, was a collision with Texas returner Jordan Shipley in the Fiesta Bowl that season. Lane suffered nerve damage in his neck and hasn’t recovered full use of his right arm.

But he hasn’t lost his passion for the game, or his desire to see the Buckeyes excel in kick coverage.

“I can see them doing a few more intense drills in practice this week which involve a couple of collisions here and there, maybe a couple of live sticks,” Lane said. “But I don’t think they really need to change much. Like I said, there were one or two players out of position. They need to reinforce things with them.”

Tressel instituted a kick scrimmage in spring drills and preseason camp when he first arrived at Ohio State in 2001 to underline the importance of special-teams play. As Lane pointed out, normally every OSU practice during the season starts with special-teams run-throughs.

OSU, like most teams, is reluctant to do a lot of kick coverage hitting in practice once the season starts, though, because of the potential for injury.

“But after this I can see them going a couple of times live with the scout team or something on the returns,” Lane said. “That would be just to make sure those players have an understanding of what they have to do and how important it is. Nothing is a better teacher than experience.”

Senior linebacker Brian Rolle agreed.

“I wouldn’t even say it’s a tackling thing; guys just have to know that’s an important play, as well,” said Rolle, who was in on the punt return breakdown along with several other first-team defensive players. “Kickoff, punt, our punt return team — every play is important, and I feel like guys kind of lost sight of that going into the game. With us being up a couple of points, guys didn’t take it as seriously as we needed it to be.”