Dispatch
DBs look to close gap in backfield
Too many drops kept unit from making big plays
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 3:31 AM
By
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
They're called "up-downs," and Ohio State players hate them. They involve jogging in place, and when a coach blows a whistle, you hit the ground and bounce back up, still jogging. "They are not pleasant at all," defensive back Malcolm Jenkins said.
Starting today, the entire OSU defense will have to do 20 up-downs for each dropped interception. If the policy had been in place yesterday, they would have done 80.
The name of the punishment is appropriate because when the ball went up last year, Ohio State defenders did not come down with enough of them.
The Buckeyes had 11 interceptions, and according to free safety Anderson Russell, they dropped 15. Russell alone dropped four.
"One against Youngstown State, one against Akron and two at Purdue," he said. "Every day, I remember them."
Cont...