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TE Rory Nicol (Official Thread)

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Buckeyes' Nicol runs to the limelight
By D.Laurant on October 27, 2006 01:33 AM


Last week, someone was asking Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel why tight end Rory Nicol had only caught seven passes all season for 55 yards.

"I don't know," Tressel replied. "I don't think anyone has doubled our tight end or anything, because they're too busy trying to double Teddy (Ginn) or Gonzo (Anthony Gonzalez)."

Nicol, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound sophomore from Beaver, Pa., said pretty much the same thing.

"I'm not going to be a primary receiver in our offense," he said. "That's just reality."

Fast forward to last Saturday's game with Indiana, which the Buckeyes won by a count of 44-3. Nicol still wasn't a primary receiver, catching only two passes, but both went for touchdowns -- a 23-yarder from Troy Smith and a 38-yarder from Ginn on a flanker reverse.

Ginn had tried the same play earlier in the season against Michigan State, but Nicol tried to run before he had possession and the ball bounced off his hands (to Ginn's obvious dismay). This time he latched on to the pass in the right flat despite tight coverage, shed a defender and bolted up the sideline to the end zone.

Generally speaking, Ohio State tight ends are told to shut up and get in somebody's way -- Nicol was, in fact, the first Buckeye of that breed to catch two touchdown passes in a game since 2001. But backup tight end Jake Ballard also scored Saturday on a diving catch of a throw from Smith.

A three-sport standout in high school (tight end in football, center in basketball, high hurdles in track), Nicol received extensive playing time as an OSU freshman, including a touchdown catch against Iowa. Then he broke his foot in August 2005 and missed that entire season. He was expected to share playing time with Marcel Frost in 2006, but Frost was booted off the squad for violating team rules.

Earlier this season, Nicol also snagged a touchdown pass against Bowling Green, and he received the weekly Jim Parker Award for his play against Indiana.

It's an award that always goes to the most effective blocker.
 
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Grounded for life
Eric Hall, Times Sports
10/29/2006
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Every Saturday home game in Columbus, 110,000 people form a sea of red and watch Rory Nicol play football.

Those fans are even more rabid than usual this year. Ohio State is ranked atop The Associated Press, USA Today, Harris and BCS polls, making it the consensus No. 1 college football team in the country.

There's talk of a national championship, that is, if the Buckeyes can beat No. 2 Michigan in a couple of weeks and win the rest of its games on the Big Ten schedule.

On a personal level, Nicol has been the subject of many stories, got his picture on the front of a number of publications and became the first Ohio State tight end to catch two touchdown passes in a game since the 2002 Outback Bowl,

It's a frenzy which can easily be inebriating.

But Nicol, a sophomore and Beaver High School graduate, won't let it.

"You can't let it get to your head, because it could easily ruin your life," Nicol said.

He didn't reference the story of Maurice Clarett, but he certainly knows it. Clarett went to Ohio State for one season, a terrific one where the Buckeyes won a national championship. Possibly drunk on his success and fame, he challenged the NFL's draft rules for underclassmen and lost. He sat out a year, then failed to make an NFL roster. He returned to Columbus and has endured a string of run-ins with the law.

There isn't a Clarett on this bunch of Buckeyes. Ohio State doesn't have a prima donna position anymore.

No one exemplifies that more than the humble Nicol.

"I understand how lucky I am, how lucky it is to be here," he said. "I'm a normal kid. All I do is play football. I'm not different from anyone else. I'm just lucky, just blessed."

He'd rather talk about his teammates. Nicol stumped for quarterback Troy Smith for Heisman, then said how much he has matured as a person and what a great friend he is. He called Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez two of the best receivers in the country. He lauded linebacker James Laurinaitis and praised his father, former professional wrestler Road Warrior Animal, for everything he's done for his son, his teammates and the program. He spoke glowingly of coach Jim Tressel - whom he called "Tress" - for his mentoring of the players and his friendly demeanor.

That's not to say Ohio State is the Shangri-La of college football. In fact, Nicol moved into the starting tight end spot because Marcel Frost was suspended for the year for an undisclosed violation of team rules, something Frost has declined to talk about. He has since transferred to Jackson State.

For the most part, though, there's been little turmoil at Ohio State this season. Maybe it's because there's a majestic goal the Buckeyes are chasing. Maybe it's Tressel and his close relationship with the players.

Maybe it's kids like Nicol, who was forced to sit out last season with torn ligaments in his foot.

"Football can be gone in a play," he said. "Last year, I couldn't walk for two months, then I was on crutches. I didn't have football. You've got to cherish this while you have it."

?Beaver County Times Allegheny Times 2006
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http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17394032&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478568&rfi=6
 
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From today's first practice.

ozone

07-08-06-FB-0081.jpg
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August 29, 2007
There's an `I' in Nicol
During interviews yesterday after practice, tight end Rory Nicol provided a fascinating glimpse at one of the toughest balancing acts in big-time sports: Subverting one?s ego for the good of the group.

I know players get it drilled in their heads all the time, the ?team-first? mentality. And I?m not suggesting that it?s a bad thing.

But I also know most Ohio State football players think they can be stars and future NFL-ers, or they wouldn?t have come to OSU. So just beneath the surface, there lies a ?what?s in it for me?? feeling.

Yesterday, Nicol was asked if he felt more anxious to start this season because of the way last season ended. He turned it around to focus on himself:

?I?m excited to go play, because I think I?m going to be a different player,? he said. ?Really, I think I?ve learned a ton; I think I?ve got a chance to be different in the offense. . . .?

Then he stopped, suddenly aware he was straying from the prescribed pack-think.

?I don?t mean `I,?? he said. ?Because it?s beyond myself to the position as a whole.?

Warming to this subject, and perhaps mindful he needed to talk fast to back out of the me-first corner, he kept going, and it got kind of comical.

?I?m a small part of this team,? he said. ?It?s clich?, but really, this team without me, they?re not dead. Me without this team, I?m dead _ I?ve got nothing. I?m not going to go beat Youngstown State by myself.?

By this time, I was cracking up. And he shouldn?t overestimate Youngstown State, he might be able to beat them by himself.

Posted by Ken Gordon on August 29, 2007 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Blogging the Buckeyes
 
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Dispatch

OSU notebook: Tight ends cut loose
Nicol comes through on his prediction that big game was coming
Sunday, October 28, 2007 3:53 AM
By Tim May, Ken Gordon and Tom Reed


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
1028_osu_notes1_sp_10-28-07_C9_MN8A9QO.jpg
CHRIS RUSSELLDispatch
Donald Washington, left, arrives to help Aaron Gant stop Penn State's Derrick Williams after a short gain on a catch in the first half.

1028_osu_notes2_sp_10-28-07_C9_MN8A9R2.jpg
Renee SauerDispatch
Brian Robiskie makes a 9-yard touchdown catch in front of Penn State's Justin King in the first quarter.



STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Rory Nicol was emphatic a couple of weeks ago. He said a big game catching the ball was coming for Ohio State's tight ends.
"Mark my words," he said at the time.
Last night was the night.
Nicol, a junior tight end from Beaver, Pa., caught a career-high six passes. And sophomore Jake Ballard had two catches, one a 15-yarder for a touchdown in the third quarter that put Ohio State up by 17.
It was the most impressive receiving game for the two tight ends since they caught three touchdown passes in a win last season over Indiana. Nicol had two in that game.

Continued......
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Nicol stated his case at early age
Jason Lloyd, Journal Register News Service
10/28/2007
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Ohio State notes: Pennsylvania native was Pitt fan in land of Paterno

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Rory Nicol grew up in the state where Joe Paterno coaches. Because of that, he has been exposed to Penn State his entire life, even though Nicol grew up closer to Pittsburgh and was a Panthers fan as a child.
Still, Nicol concedes Paterno's reputation has slipped over the last 10 years, when he has fielded some of his worst teams and the program has been marred with off-field scandals.
Currently, former starting tailback Austin Scott has been suspended indefinitely after he was charged with rape.
"Obviously, there have been some off-the-field issues," Nicol said earlier in the week. "In a sense, I would think he might have stepped back a little bit."
Nicol grew up in Beaver, Pa., just across the border from Ohio and 200 miles from State College. Because of that, Nicol never took an official visit to Penn State, even though he said Paterno showed considerable interest in him coming out of high school.
"A lot of my friends' parents growing up were Penn State season-ticket holders," Nicol said.
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The News-Herald - Nicol stated his case at early age
 
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Nicol is a very solid receiver but he really needs to work on his blocking. On an inside iso play (during a few instances) Nicol allowed inside penetration by the DE/OLB who proceeded to blow up the lead blocker (FB) allowing the ILB to make the play. Not bashing the guy at all, he just needs to get better for our running game to be all it can be. It would be ignorant to use Ballard on every run play. He did have some stellar catches that bailed "us" out on several occassions. He might be worth a look as a flex TE more often.
 
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Dispatch

Ohio State notebook
Victory sends message, Nicol says

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:30 AM
By Tim May


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
1031_nicol_sp_10-31-07_C3_TF8B48J.jpg
Renee SauerDispatch
Ohio State's Rory Nicol caught six passes in his home state as the Buckeyes made a statement by beating Penn State.


Top-ranked Ohio State has turned its attention to a game Saturday against Wisconsin, but tight end Rory Nicol said a 37-17 win at Penn State last week was quite the springboard into November. For Nicol, of Beaver, Pa., he caught a career-high six passes in his home state. For the Buckeyes, the last time they were on a similar stage, Jan. 8 in the national championship game against Florida, they lost 41-14. This time, they delivered a one-sided win over a team that was expected to offer the biggest challenge of the season to that point.
"I think we sent out the right message, too," Nicol said. "That was our chance to let people know what Ohio State is about, what type of team we are, because there's a lot of people who, for some reason, don't think we're very talented.
"In front of everybody, at 8 o'clock on national TV, we put on a pretty good performance. I think we answered the call."
Now comes November, and the Big Ten games that people truly remember: Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan.



Cont...
 
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