OSU Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A position-by-position look at a perfect season for Ohio State, continuing today by rewinding to look at the big guys up front who opened huge holes for the rushing attack and helped keep Braxton Miller upright for the passing game.

OFFENSIVE LINE

• Most valuable player: The Buckeyes were blessed with good health across the line all season, which gave all five starters every possible chance to build a case as the standout performer for the unit. It might not even be fair to single out just one, but considering the uncertainty at right tackle dating to spring practice and the way Reid Fragel developed to not only lock down a job but excel at it, the senior gets the edge for providing the final puzzle piece in the trenches. Jack Mewhort was a monster on the other side of the line and Corey Linsley was reliable as the anchor at center, but Fragel's transition from tight end was absolutely critical for the high-powered spread offense.
• By the numbers: If Ohio State could find the red zone, odds were good the offensive line was going to clear the way for a touchdown on the ground. The Buckeyes were relentless when getting close to the end zone on the ground, trusting the big guys to combine with either Carlos Hyde as the battering ram or Miller as the burner on the edge to beat defenses down with hard-nosed football. In all, the linemen helped deliver 30 red-zone touchdowns for an offense that scored 88 percent of the time it got inside an opponent's 20-yard line.

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Sleep? Who needs sleep?

Certainly not Ohio State after pulling in a visitors list of well over 50 recruits for the Michigan game.

The Buckeyes staff wasted no time at all last week in hitting the trail to check in on many recruits either at their schools or with in-house visits. So while it was nice to wow the likes of Martrell Spaight, James Quick, Trey Johnson, Jamarco Jones, Raekwon McMillan, DeShone Kizer, Sam Mustipher, Da’Shawn Hand, Gareon Conley, Clifton Garrett, Donovan Munger, Shelton Gibson, Chris Worley, Darius West, Jimmy Byrne and Kyle Berger, they weren’t resting on the win.

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Jayme Thompson’s statistics weren’t that impressive on paper, but it can be argued the Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic safety is the reason the Fighting Irish beat Trotwood-Madison 16-12 in the Division II state championship.

His tackle on a fourth-and-2 call in the second quarter set up Central Catholic for a touchdown to make it a 14-point contest.

He was also part of a defense that held the Rams to 227 yards total offense.

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One of the most sought-after seniors in the country is closing in on an announcement.

Robert Foster (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley), the No. 2 receiver nationally, will likely decide his future before a school break for the holidays, Central Valley coach Mark Lyons said. Lyons said the announcement could come Dec. 19, Dec. 20 or Dec. 21.

Foster has taken official visits to Alabama and Pittsburgh, which was his most recent visit. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver is down to the Tide and Panthers.

Ohio State visited Foster's high school last week but the Buckeyes are not a factor in Foster's recruitment at this point.

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Dante Booker (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) knew he had an incredible sophomore season. His 157 tackles, 14 sacks, three fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles were indicative of that.

But the ESPN Watch List linebacker wanted more heading into his junior season. He wanted that elusive state championship that had evaded the Fighting Irish since 1988.

“Your junior season is very important to see what kind of team you’ve got and what you’ve got,” Booker said back in August. “I’m never satisfied. I just have to go out there every day and get better. I’m going to try to be a leader for the team.”

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Jayme Thompson (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) wanted to go over to his future teammate and give him words of encouragement Friday after his Fighting Irish beat defending champion Trotwood-Madison, 16-12, to claim the Division II state title.

But the future Ohio State safety didn’t get his chance.

There was no “Yeah, we got you,” or anything like that. Just a simple message to Rams cornerback Cam Burrows as the two closed their high school careers and prepared for the next step with the Buckeyes.

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Urban Meyer wasted little time in targeting one of the biggest free agents in the 2013 class.

Meyer visited ESPN 150 cornerback Gareon Conley (Massillon, Ohio/Washington) at his school and then finished up with an in-home visit. It was a visit Tigers coach Jason Hall said went off without a hitch.

“It went great. I think it was a chance for Gareon to be around Coach Meyer,” Hall said. “It was a good chance for Gareon to ask a lot of questions. Coach Meyer is a great coach, great person. It was good for him to be around our building. He did a home visit last night as well.”

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BuckeyeNation writer Brad Bournival and WolverineNation writer Tom VanHaaren went to the airwaves in Cleveland last night to talk Ohio State and Michigan recruiting.

In a 20-minute segment with radio personality Kenny Roda on WKNR-AM 850, the two talked about last weekend’s Ohio State-Michigan game and the ramifications the Buckeyes’ win had on the 60-plus visitors that took in the game at The Horseshoe.

Bournival and VanHaaren also took an in-depth look at the 2013 recruiting class for both teams, discussed who the best commit has been for each team so far and looked at who might round the class out in the waning months before national signing day.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A position-by-position look at a perfect season for Ohio State, continuing today by rewinding to look at the physical blockers who doubled as extra weapons in the passing game for the high-powered spread attack.

TIGHT ENDS

• Most valuable player: The conversion of the projected starter at the position left more work for the two guys left over at tight end, and both of them were able to step up and make a mark. The receiving statistics are essentially a dead heat, and each did some notable work to help the rushing attack get rolling -- but the slight edge goes to Jeff Heuerman over Nick Vannett. Heuerman drew some of the highest praise of the season when coach Urban Meyer identified him as one of the best blockers he's ever had at tight end, and while Vannett's emergence was just as critical, it's the sophomore who gets the nod this season.
• By the numbers: Throwing to the big targets wasn't exactly a staple of the passing game, though maybe it could become a more regular feature given the success the Buckeyes had with either tight end. Or perhaps it was the element of surprise that made them so effective. Either way, the 17 combined catches for Vannett and Heuerman averaged nearly 13 yards per completion -- and both flashed the ability to make something big happen down the field by posting plays of 32 yards or longer.

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Michigan had parted ways with offensive line commit David Dawson (Detroit/Cass Tech) a short time ago for planning a visit to Florida. The two parties spoke tonight, however, and Michigan is once again recruiting the No. 1 guard in the country.

"I spoke to Coach [Brady] Hoke tonight and he said they are re-offering me," Dawson said. "We had a heart to heart, and I don't want to put everything out there but I was dealing with some things and I might have jumped the gun a little bit.

"We talked about everything and he said that if I want to be there they have a place for me."

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