Regardless of Talent, Buckeyes Should Sit Pittman?
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Regardless of talent, Buckeyes should sit Pittman
By Sam Blackburn
TR Sports Reporter
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In a way, it scares me to death that Tony Pittman racked up all of those yards in the annual OSU Scarlet and Gray spring football game Saturday.
A hard-running 200-pound freshman from Akron, he chewed up the Gray defense for 125 yards in the Scarlet's 13-0 win in Ohio Stadium. Those are impressive numbers for anyone, let alone an 18-year old who should still be kicking it with his senior friends in high school.
Forgive me for being a bit cynical, but when I see a freshman running back run for more than 100 yards in a Buckeye uniform, even if it is during a glorified scrimmage, I get nervous. It can only brings one thing to mind. One person, to be exact.
And it's not Robert Smith or Carlos Snow. This guy left a much more lasting memory, and for all of the wrong reasons.
I was in the press box when Maurice Clarett ran roughshod over Texas Tech during the first game of his career in 2002. His bruising style led him to 175 yards in his first-ever start -- officially setting the tone for a record-breaking season that saw Youngstown native run for more than 1,200 yards. By season's end, the school had won its seventh national championship.
Clarett was a virtual unknown at that point, long before stories about his troubled past and even more troubling future surfaced. The consensus opinion among Buckeye fans at that time was something along the lines of, "God has cometh, and he's brought us a running back."
With the ball in Clarett's hands, it was like the Buckeyes' trademark Power "O" play was designed to his exact specifications. He had just enough patience to allow 355-pound tractor trailer Adrien Clarke enough time to pull through and pick off the linebacker, and just enough strength to break through those aimless arm tackles near the line of scrimmage. It was a deadly combination. He had everyone shaking their heads, from coaches and players, to media, ushers and cops. Like him or loathe him, he was a special player.
Complete with special player baggage.
There never seemed to be an easy, strees-free day with Clarett in the vicinity. There was always a story somewhere, whether it was shedding tears on the sideline, or yelling at his coaches. Away from the field, he always managed to find time to vent to the media about something -- culminated by his rant during Fiesta Bowl preparations about the school not flipping the bill for him to fly home to a friend's funeral.
And that was before he got suspended indefinitely for breaking NCAA rules. Or before he tried to battle the NFL for a spot in last weekend's draft. You hate to be judgmental, but this guy was a pain in the butt that could rival even the worst of hemorrhoids.
Unfortunately, a legacy like that isn't going to be forgotten.
I don't know Tony Pittman from Tony Dellamaggiore, and I'm not going to bust a kid's chops when he hasn't done anything wrong. But if you look at recent history, it's safe to say that a freshman usually can't handle the spotlight of being the starting Ohio State tailback. They might produce a little on the field, but off of it, the story changes altogether.
Of course, with senior Lydell Ross as the incumbent starter, it may never be a factor anyway. But the facts are pretty disturbing. Ohio State barely cracked the top 100 nationally in rushing offense last year with Ross as the starter, and that was before three 3-year starters on the offensive line and a two-year starter at tight end moved on to the NFL.
Ross could be a real stud this season. When Jonathan Wells was a senior, he carried the offense after three sub-par seasons. Eddie George followed a solid, but unspectacular 1994 with a Heisman Trophy in 1995.
But he had Orlando Pace, LeShun Daniels and Juan Porter clearing the way, not to mention one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Bob Hoying and a pair of first-round NFL draft picks in receiver Terry Glenn and tight end Rickey Dudley.
Even Wells had an All-American center in LeCharles Bentley and another veteran in tackle Tyson Walter, not to mention a three-year starter at quarterback in Steve Bellisari.
Ross isn't so lucky.
Not only will he have a substantial amount inexperience in front of him to open up holes, but the quarterback situation isn't exactly striking shock into opponents either.
While no back can run without adept blocking, some do it better than others. When former Buckeyes head coach Earle Bruce spoke in Zanesville following the 2002 national title season, he said that offensive line was one of the worst he had seen at OSU in several years. Had Clarett stayed healthy for a full schedule, he might have had 1,500 yards behind that group.
Whether Pittman can be another Clarett on the field remains to be seen.
One way or the other, Ross and OSU shouldn't want to find out.
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Originally published Wednesday, April 28, 2004
