Ohio State Football Open Practice: Recap

On a rainy Saturday morning in Columbus head coach Urban Meyer held an indoor practice open to all current students.  It was marked by an exciting atmosphere, as 3100 students were gathered on and around the field.  The players and coaching staff ran numerous plays of all sorts and were sure to get the students involved in the action, including pumping up the crowd and allowing a player-coach-student interactions and meet and greet following the conclusion of the practice.  All in all, this thrilling experience further demonstrated the unity shared at Ohio State.

As a student lucky enough to witness the practice first hand, I must say Urban did not show much.  He demonstrated traditional offensive sets and special team scenarios.  Nothing flashy, nothing extreme; just trying to improve how his players execute.  The speed of Braxton Miller was evident, and it was noteworthy that he did not make many if any careless passes.  Carlos Hyde in the backfield looked powerful, but most noteworthy was the defense.  Very quick off the line and always rushing the quarterback, it was a good sight to see.  Look out for John Simon, Bradley Roby, and Ryan Shazier to put up big numbers this season.  In terms of backup players, a dark horse candidate is surely defensive back Adam Griffin, son of Archie, who packed a major punch for only being 5'9-5'10. 

All in all, look for the Buckeyes to impress in 2012.