The First Game Week Press Conferences of the Fickell Era

LUKE FICKELL:

• Although the Buckeyes may eventually have permanent captains, for now they are rotating that honor on a per game basis. This week, offensive linemen J.B. Shugarts and Mike Brewster and defensive lineman John Simon are representing the Scarlet and Gray.
• What won’t change on a weekly basis is Fickell’s choice of attire…or more accurately his wife’s choice. Coach Fickell says he’ll wear whatever Amy picks out for him. He did rule out a sweater vested tribute to Coach Tressel, however.
• Joe Bauserman will get the first snap at quarterback. Braxton Miller will see playing time. What was it that earned Bauserman the start? Fickell said simply, “It’s leadership.”
• From an injury standpoint, running back Jaamal Berry (hamstring) is questionable. Linebacker Etienne Sabino has already returned to practice and will be good to go vs. Akron despite breaking a bone in his left hand. Fickell confirmed that Sabino will be playing in a cast.
• Offensive lineman Corey Linsley will miss the game against Akron. Fickell did not specify a reason for the sophomore’s absence, but did imply we won’t see Linsley in week two either.
• With DeVier Posey serving a 5-game suspension to start the season, wide receiver may have been considered a question mark for the Scarlet and Gray. Fickell, however, says the wide receivers were as impressive as any position group in fall camp.
• Coach Fickell seems much more at ease now than he did when he first took over for Jim Tressel. At various times today, Fickell stressed how excited he was for the upcoming season. He also made a point to say he was confident in his ability to lead the team.
• There was very little actual discussion about Akron. Fickell wasn’t asked about the Zips until late into his press conference and even then, he refused to provide a scouting report, saying the Buckeyes needed to focus on what they need to do well.
• Yes, we know Ohio State has issues when it comes to the depth of their offensive line. What was notable today was Fickell as well as Shugarts and Brewster all admitted as much.

J.B. SHUGARTS:

• Shugarts said that the Buckeyes had an excellent fall camp, in part because of the leadership of the four players who will start the season serving five-game suspensions.
• Shugarts also said Ohio State will be running the same offense regardless of whether Joe Bauserman or Braxton Miller is playing.
• When it comes to the Buckeye offense, Shugarts told us it’s simplfied compared to last year. He said that’s because Coach Fickell wants to make sure OSU plays with speed.

MIKE BREWSTER:

• The Buckeye center was very eloquent when speaking about former coach Jim Tressel. He says even Fickell still refers to Tressel as “Coach,” and Tressel is still present with the team through the “values he instilled.”

JOHN SIMON:

• When asked about the turbulent offseason, Simon responded, “The negatives have become a positive.” That’s because he feels the adversity really helped bring the team together.

TYLER MOELLER:

• Tyler says he’s been practicing for a couple days now and is confident his groin injury is 100% healed.
• Moeller pointed out that the four suspended players OSU who will be missing for the first five games of the season are now working for the Buckeye scout team. If there’s a better scout team offense than the one that features Boom Herron, DeVier Posey and Mike Adams, I’d like to know. (Defensive lineman Solomon Thomas is, of course, the other player who will miss time.)

JAKE STONEBURNER:

• In addition to taking to task the increasing number of Buckeye “haters,” Stoneburner brought up an interesting point about Fickell’s input on the Ohio State offense. The tight end says Fickell is using defensive philosophies to improve the offense, and the example he gave was “pursuit of the ball.” By having all 11 Buckeyes move toward the ball, there’s less of a chance they turn it over and more of a chance that a Scarlet and Gray convoy makes it into the endzone.

Finally, some of my esteemed colleagues have pointed out a recent addition to the Woody Hayes athletic facility. I should also point out one subtraction: