Kick Scrimmage

[Elephant]

AP went 9 for 9 buts thats the only info i have been able to find. Score was 27-24!!

[jwinslow]

Originally Posted by Elephant

AP went 9 for 9 buts thats the only info i have been able to find. Score was 27-24!!

cool, thanks for sharing. We've got two good young kickers... Pettrey might have the strongest leg yet under Tress. We'll see how they do in the shoe vs NIU.

[tedginn05]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

cool, thanks for sharing. We've got two good young kickers... Pettrey might have the strongest leg yet under Tress. We'll see how they do in the shoe vs NIU.

Thats scary, considering what Huston (And Nugent) could do.

[NYBuckeye]

9 for 9 on kicks is a strong argument to be the no.1 kicker especially if he has the bigger leg. Like jwinslow siad, their performance against NIU will be huge; it would be nice to go to Austin with confidence in a clear no.1.

[sandgk]

Both Rivals and BN have their articles up (both premium content).

The Ozone from front page says it thusly:

August 23, 2006 7:00 PM

Football: Redshirt sophomore place kicker Aaron Pettrey kicked a 47 yard field goal to give his team a 27-24 win in the kick scrimmage held today in Ohio Stadium. Pettrey was nine-for-nine in the scrimmage. Ryan Pretorius also had a decent day but did have some misses.

According to the players and coaches who were on hand, Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Hartline, Ted Ginn and Brian Robiske all had good kick returns though there were no touchdowns scored in the scrimmage. It was also reported that both Pettrey and Pretorius were able to boom their kickoffs for touchbacks consistently.

And that is another key part of the game-plan.

[rocketman]

Sounds very promising, on all aspects. Granted, its one of those "friend's cousin's sister's nephew's" kind of relationships, but my friend is dating Aaron and he's a great guy to hang out with. Here's hoping we'll be cheering for him this season.

[bucknut11]

Originally Posted by R0CK3TM4NN

Here's hoping we'll be cheering for him this season.

After all he went through to get here... absolutely.

[CleveBucks]

Like I said after watching the night practice, Pettrey definitely impressed. I didn't see him miss there either, including from 53 yards. Pretorious missed a couple Pettrey had about 4-5 yards on Pretorious on kickoffs.

[huber14]

awesome i got his autograph at the scrimmage.

[Saw31]

Great news...Hope he can erase one of this season's early question marks...Gotta be solid in the kicking game, and we've been very spoiled compared to the rest of college football. It feels strange having to worry about place kicking...

[osugrad21]

BN $

Dave Biddle's account of the kick scrimmage.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

8/24/06

OHIO STATE FOOTBALL
Pettrey gets leg up on Pretorius in competition for kicker’s job

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>JEFF HINCKLEY DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Coach Jim Tressel watches Ryan Pretorius hold on a kick by Aaron Pettrey during a recent practice. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


On an afternoon when Aaron Pettrey and Ryan Pretorius needed to be nearly perfect, only Pettrey was.
The No. 1 kicking job likely was on the line in the Ohio State kick scrimmage yesterday. Pettrey made 9 of 9 field–goal attempts, including the winner from 47 yards. By Pretorius’ calculations, he was about 12 of 17.
In the world of kickers, Pettrey was the one who left Ohio Stadium feeling good about his effort.
"I think I have improved my status, if anything," Pettrey said.
He thought he entered camp behind Pretorius in the race to replace last year’s starter, Josh Huston, who is now with the Chicago Bears. But Pretorius, a 27-year-old rugby player turned kicker, had a feeling things changed. The tears that rolled down his cheeks on the walk back told the story.
"I felt like crying, yeah. I’m man enough to admit it," said Pretorius, a sophomore from South Africa. "Not on the field, but when I was walking by myself. It was my big day to shine. I’d had two amazing kick scrimmages or three before this, and I was like, ‘Why today?’ when I had worked harder than I ever have."
With the season opener against Northern Illinois nine days away, he and Pettrey think a decision by the coaches could come at any time.
"They still might have Ryan in that (starting) spot, but hopefully I’m standing out there with him," said Pettrey, 20, a redshirt freshman from Raceland, Ky. He added later, "I’m happy being where I’m at right now. … I’m not sure who has a leg up or anything."
It was obvious that Pettrey was on yesterday, said long snapper Drew Norman, who didn’t even have to see the kicks.
"There is a definite sound when the ball comes off the foot, and Aaron had that today," Norman said, describing it as a thud. "You could tell every time he struck the ball he struck it square. As a snapper, when you hear it struck good, you have a pretty good feeling about it."
Coach Jim Tressel usually makes the call on the kicker, and he did not speak with the media after the scrimmage. It appeared from the start of camp that he wanted Pretorius and Pettrey not only to compete, but to bond. He put them in the same room in the team hotel.
"At first I was a bit surprised by it; you don’t expect that," Pretorius said. "But (Pettrey) is a great guy. We realize it’s a competition, but we’re both gentlemen and we’re both friends off the field.
"We’ve gotten to know each other a lot better, which is a great thing because during practice you’re always competing."
At night, "We talk about kicking and how we did that day and what we thought we did wrong," Pettrey said.
Which is why if the decision goes Pettrey’s way, Pretorius said it would be bittersweet.
"I’ll work my butt off and try to get (the starting job) back," he said. "But obviously on game day we’re a team, and we want to win a national championship, and if (Pettrey is No. 1) I will be behind him 100 percent."
tmay@dispatch.com

[Zurp]

What is the elligibility of both guys? If they've each already red-shirted, maybe they'll split time for a couple of games to see if one can show more consistency in actual game experience.

[osugrad21]

Link

Tough act to follow for kickers at Ohio State
By Jon Spencer
News Journal

<!-- ARTICLE BODYTEXT --> <!--ARTICLE TEXT--> COLUMBUS -- Former Ohio State kickers Mike Nugent and Josh Huston missed field goals the last four years about as often as Refrigerator Perry missed a meal.
By becoming almost automatic on their three-point tries, they set a supernatural standard for dueling Buckeye specialists Ryan Pretorius and Aaron Pettrey to reach.
"A lot of guys on the team say, 'Ah, I wish I could be a kicker,' " Pretorius, 27, a sophomore from South Africa., said. "I think, 'Ah, I wish I could be a linebacker.' "
Wednesday was one of those times Pretorius would have loved to trade places with James Laurinaitis or Marcus Freeman.In no mood to do the math, Pretorius confessed to missing five or six of his 17 field goal attempts in the special teams scrimmage in Ohio Stadium.
Most of those misses came near the end and might have cost the one-time frontrunner the starting job heading into the Sept. 2 opener at home against Northern Illinois.
Perhaps out of kindness and respect for his camp roommate, Pettrey called the foot race "dead even." More accurately, Pettrey was "dead on."
The redshirt freshman from Kentucky made all nine of his field goal tries, including a 47-yarder and the 35-yard game-winner for the Scarlet. His only miss came when the Gray was flagged for roughing him.
"Being in that stadium helps me out," said Pettrey, who nailed a 59-yard field goal during a scrimmage in the Horseshoe last spring. "I've been kicking the ball real well in there."
Wednesday's scrimmage was closed to the media and the public. Wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell addressed the media afterwards and wasn't very revealing. He said the staff would watch the film and probably make a decision on a starting kicker by the weekend.
Even though the stands were empty, Hazell did feel the scrimmage was an accurate gauge of how the kickers handle pressure.
"Absolutely," he said. "We were coming at them with 11 guys a lot of the time. It was extremely competitive.
"We told 'em going in this was a big day for a lot of people trying to make the plane trip to Texas (for the Sept. 9 game against the reigning national champions)."
Pettrey and Pretorius both figure to be on that flight, but that's little consolation to Pretorius right now.
"It just wasn't my day; I couldn't control the ball, which happens to every kicker or golfer," said Pretorius, a rugby and soccer player in his homeland. "Today was the day I wanted to shine and didn't.
"I pride myself on my accuracy. That was my strong point. For some reason, I've been accurate until now. Today was a huge letdown. I'm going to do is wake up tomorrow with a smile on my face. All I can do is work harder."
The Buckeyes boasted two of the finest kickers in the nation the past four years. Nugent, the 2004 Lou Groza Award winner, converted 65 of 74 field goal attempts (.878 percent) in his three years as fulltime starter. Huston replaced him last season and made 22 of 28 while booming most of his kickoffs for touchbacks.
"They made it pretty tough," said Pettrey about filling those shoes. "But I still talk to them about pressure and everything. It's a lot of pressure, but I think I'm ready for it."
Huston took Pettrey under his wing, rebuilding him in his image.
"Last year I came in and was awful," Pettrey said. "I was hurt (groin injury), but kept trying to kick. Josh widened my stance, gave me new steps, worked on my approach, changed just about everything. He changed me to be just like him, and it's been working for me."
It might be the rugby player in him talking, but Pretorius said he'll keep plugging away if he loses the job to his roomie.
"I'll work my butt off to get it back," he said. "Obviously, we're a team, trying to win a national championship, and I'll be behind him 100 percent."

[BB73]

official.site

Ohio State Football Quotes, Aug. 23

Buckeyes compete in kick scrimmage in Ohio Stadium

John Peterson, assistant coach, coach of the Scarlet Team in the kick scrimmage

On the kicking scrimmage

"Today was very good. It was a great team effort, very consistent. We made kicks when we had to make them."

On the kicks by Aaron Pettrey

"Aaron's kicks were strong. He had consistent timing. The protection up front held up well. It was great work between the snapper, holder and kicker. Overall, I'm very happy with the team effort."

On the play of the tight ends

"When we run two tight ends, it will be Brandon Smith and Rory Nicol. They have both been very consistent and are working well with the new protections. They've also shown great effort on running plays."


Dick Tressel, assistant coach, representing the Gray Team

On the kicking scrimmage

"The guys played hard. I enjoy when the special teams compete and I think the team does as well. They all know the importance of special teams."

"We have a talented group of kickers and punters. They're exciting to watch and have live legs. It's fun to tell them to go ahead and try to make a 57-yard attempt."

"The punters did a great job. They got the ball up and had good coverage. It was really hard to return punts."
On limiting the number of returns by opponents

"I think you will see more returns attempted this year. People [other teams] will be more committed to bringing out the ball and adding to their number of returns. The guys [Ohio State's punters and kickers] have the ability to kick the ball deep enough so there is no return."

On Ohio State's return game

"We have high-quality players who will have a lot of time to get quality returns. They will have the opportunity to get the space to run the football." <!-- STORY AD BEGINS HERE -->

On improving the Buckeyes' returns

"We have spent an extra three or four minutes in practice catching balls. Getting out there, getting warmed up and spending quality time with the kick returners. Having talented returners is perceived as an aberration; that it's not normal. We've spent time with them - giving them more attention and focus, working with them by giving them more time and more reps."


Darrell Hazell, assistant coach




Ohio State wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell spoke to the media Wednesday following the Buckeyes' kick scrimmage in Ohio Stadium.

On the kickers

"Aaron Pettrey looked very good today. He was very consistent and showed good range as he hit one from about 49 yards. Both the kickers had a good day and we're going to look at the film and make a decision here soon."

On the kick returners

"We really showed our depth today at that spot. Malcolm Jenkins had one really good return today. Brian Hartline also had a big return at the end for us that put us in a position to win."

On the scrimmage

"It was close. Both sides played very hard and Aaron (Pettrey) hit the long kick at the end to give us the win."


Aaron Pettrey, sophomore kicker

On working to win a starting job

"Kicking is all about confidence. When I first came to Ohio State I knew I would have a chance to contribute at some point and since the spring I have just been trying to win a job."

On the process of a kick attempt

"You just try not to think about it too much. I just do what I do every day in practice and not put too much pressure on myself. I just kick the ball."

On his progress during camp

"I'm happy with where I'm at. I'm just going to go out tomorrow and have a good day in practice. I didn't make many mistakes today and I just want to build on that."

On filling the shoes of Mike Nugent and Josh Huston

"Yes, they've made it tough, but we're all good friends. We talk a lot and they give me good advice. That's a lot of pressure to kick after those two did it so well, but I think I'm ready for it. Josh (Huston) has helped me out a lot, telling me to keep my head on straight and don't feel too much pressure and don't watch the rush."

On fellow kicker Ryan Pretorius

"We're good friends. We're roommates at the hotel during camp. We talk a lot and work well together in practice."


A.J. Trapasso, sophomore punter

On punting

"I have been working on getting a good foot on the ball and improving my timing. I'm working on my high punts and pinning the other guys back inside the 20 yard line."

On what he has worked on

"I have really tried to work on my big kick. Last year I had a few where I tried to hard and ended up kicking it right out of bounds. That really hurt my average but this year I feel I have really improved."

On the offseason

"I saw Andy Groom when he came back. Mostly I have been working with my long snapper, Drew Norman, and we are getting more and more comfortable together. We stress the punt here at Ohio State so I have to be on my game."


Ryan Pretorius, sophomore kicker

On the scrimmage

"It just was not my day. It happens to everyone. I started off well. I think that I was four-of-five and then I went through a small patch where I missed three in a row."

On the kicking battle

"I think today was very important. I didn't have my best day today but I have done well before. The first kick scrimmage I was four-of-five and the second one I was eight-of-nine."

On his kicks

"I did alright early. Then I had a 60 yard kick that I should have made but I pushed it to the right. Then after that I had two or three more off to the right. All I can do is wake up tomorrow with a smile and try and try to do better."


Drew Norman, senior long snapper

On the scrimmage

"It was a good day. I was happy to get out there and get some live rushes come at us. I think both of the kickers performed well, both made solid contact on the ball."

On Aaron Pettrey

"He has some really good kicks today. From where I am most of the time I have to just listen to know if it is a good kick. I hear that boom when Aaron kicks just like I heard from Mike (Nugent) and Josh (Huston)."

On what he has worked on

"I can always get better. You just have to commit yourself to getting better everyday and that is what I have done. I have really worked on my consistency and keeping the ball up for the holder and for A.J. Trapasso."

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