Safety Anderson Russell was carried off the field and finished the afternoon with a boot dressing his right foot, while a hip pointer forced All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis out a few minutes later in Saturday's first half.
Yet coach Jim Tressel insisted Ohio State's dusting of Kent State was hardly a Pyrrhic victory.
Laurinaitis said his injury is "nothing serious" and he should be ready to practice Tuesday.
"I just got kicked in the hip and it was getting stiff," he said.
Rather than "shoot up" to numb the hip, the coaching staff decided to play it safe and rest him with the game in hand.
Russell's status is cloudier. Tressel did not know how much time the sophomore safety would miss, though he didn't believe the injury was severe.
"I think Anderson kind of rolled the same ankle that he'd been nursing," Tressel said.
Russell, who missed half of the 2006 season with a torn ACL, is third on the Buckeyes ' defense with 32 tackles.
 Media Credit: Kenny Greer |
|
| Defensive back Donald Washington intercepts a Kent State pass and returns it for a touchdown in Ohio State's game Saturday. |
Mr. Washington goes to end zone
Perhaps the best measure of Donald Washington's evolution at cornerback is a shifting perception on the practice field.
"Last year," said wideout Brian Hartline, "I didn't really mind going against him."
This year?
"Now I catch myself really thinking about what I should be doing," Hartline said. "He's gotten so much better."
Never more was this evident than Saturday. The sophomore corner, part of an OSU secondary allowing only 149 yards per game through the air, had a tackle for a loss and returned his first career pick for a touchdown.
Tressel called the play the day's "backbreaker." Washington, meanwhile, had a little more trouble describing the thrill.
"It's something I really can't explain," Washington said with a smile. "You got all those people cheering and you just made a great play. I don't know man, it's like a dream come true."
"Deep" trouble nonexistent
What's better than a dominating defense?
Two dominating defenses of course.
"It starts with the coaching staff," said senior offensive tackle Kirk Barton. "(Defensive coordinators Jim) Heacock and (Luke) Fickell, they really get our defense ready to go. Our scout team works well to prepare them."
Plagued by recent injuries, the Buckeyes defense hasn't been 100 percent.
It doesn't need to be thanks to a slew of replacements who have stepped up flawlessly for OSU.
Much was made of the injuries to Russell and Laurinaitis Saturday, but most impressive was the performance of their replacements.
Safety Jamario O'Neal stepped in for Russell in the second quarter, showing no signs of slowing down since losing his job to Kurt Coleman in the off-season.
"It's a great testament to him," Heacock said. "He's gotten better and better and you knew you'd need him before the season was over and he stepped up."
Austin Spitler jumped into the middle linebacker spot after Laurinaitis' injury and finished with five tackles.
"We've got some guys that are really team-oriented," Heacock said. "We subbed a lot and we subbed early. We get a guy in there and he seems to take over."
Running into problems
Kent State running back Eugene Jarvis gave the Buckeyes more trouble than they imagined Saturday.
Jarvis opened with 52 yards on eight carries in the first quarter, leaving some doubt in OSU minds leading into the brunt of the Buckeyes' schedule.
"We didn't play our best today, but Jarvis is a good running back," Heacock said. "He's tough to tackle and he's better than we thought he would be. He's a quick back. He's made guys miss and it's hard to prepare for that."
The defense allowed only 33 yards to Jarvis after the opening quarter, but things will have to get better fast as Michigan State brings the two-headed attack of Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick into the Ohio Stadium this weekend.
"We watched film on him and he's smaller and shifty," said defensive end Vernon Gholston. "We just have to get better at what we do."
2008 Woodie Awards
Be the first to comment on this story