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Well received
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
10/12/2006
COLUMBUS -- Listen closely enough and every once in a while Jim Tressel will admit what he's really thinking. Before this season began, Tressel was concerned about his receivers.
While all the preseason questions centered on how Ohio State would replace nine starters on defense, Tressel kept slipping in hints that he was worried about how the loss of Santonio Holmes would affect the offense.
''We lost a pretty good one in No. 4,'' he said more than once this summer.
Holmes led all receivers with 53 catches for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. He made every big catch while teaming with Ted Ginn to form the deadliest punt and kick return combination in the country.
Now halfway through the season, to the surprise of most everyone, Holmes' numbers haven't been missed.
Ginn had a career-high 10 catches last week and is averaging a touchdown every 5.5 receptions. Of Anthony Gonzalez's 27 catches, 24 have gone for either first downs or touchdowns.
Even when senior Roy Hall was slowed by a sprained ankle late in camp, freshmen Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline found ways to contribute -- Robiskie by catching 12 passes and two touchdowns, while Hartline has a handful of catches and threw a jarring block that sprung Gonzalez for a big touchdown at Iowa.
''It's good to see the depth that we hoped to have at receiver come true,'' Tressel said. ''Everyone talked about our depth, but all I could think about was Santonio Holmes was a first-round draft choice and I hoped that we could approach the type of productivity that we had while Santonio is here.''
As it turns out, they've surpassed it.
Through six games last year, the offense averaged 26.5 points a game. Then like most Tressel teams, the numbers improved dramatically over the second half of the season. During one stretch last year, Ohio State scored at least 40 points in four straight games.
This year the Buckeyes are averaging 32.8 points a game and have scored less than four touchdowns in a game only once, and that happened at Texas.
Still, the Buckeyes scored a season-low 24 points against the Longhorns, who rank fifth in the country in scoring defense.
Aside from Ohio State, Texas hasn't surrendered more than 14 points in a game this year.
And to think, Holmes left with a year of eligibility remaining. Imagine what Ohio State's offense might look like had he decided to return for another year.
''We miss him. We would be that much better if he was still here,'' Troy Smith said. ''But when you're at a prestigious school like this, whatever it may be you have to reload and you have to keep going.''
That hasn't been a problem this year. The Buckeyes don't have a clear No. 1 receiver like Holmes was last year. Instead, they've scorched defenses that focus too much on either Gonzalez or Ginn. When Ginn grabbed all of the attention early in the year, Gonzalez caught eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown against Texas.
As teams began believing Gonzalez was a legitimate threat, Ginn has found more room to move. Over the last two games, Ginn has caught 17 passes for 191 yards.
''Everybody has one more year of experience, from the offensive line to the running backs to the quarterbacks to the receivers. That makes a big difference,'' Gonzalez said. ''On top of that, we're just playing really well. We've played well these first few weeks, so that always helps. Hopefully now we can keep it going.''
