COLUMBUS – For the second and final time in this year’s fall camp, Ohio State opened up the first three periods of its football practice to the media on Saturday morning.
As was the case during the Buckeyes’ first preseason practice last Thursday, Ohio State's eighth practice of the preseason started with a punting session on one field and individual positional drills on the other.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver K.J. Hill, sophomore running back Demario McCall, freshman running back J.K. Dobbins and junior wide receiver Eric Glover-Williams were among those who spent time catching punts. Both Buckeyes punters, redshirt freshman Drue Chrisman and sophomore Jake Metzer, had some misfires with their punts on Saturday.
The Buckeyes continued to work in individual positional groups for the remainder of the 15 minutes that Saturday’s practice was open to the media.
INJURY REPORT
Starting running back Mike Weber, who is dealing with tightness in his hamstring according to Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer, remained limited during practice on Saturday. Weber went through stretching and running with his teammates to start practice but then went off to the side to work with an athletic trainer, as he did last Thursday, while his teammates went into football drills.
Tight end Marcus Baugh, who has also been limited since the start of practice with inflammation in his toe, also continued working with the athletic trainers during practice.
Jordan Fuller, one of the candidates to replace Malik Hooker as a starting safety, also spent Saturday’s practice working individually on the sideline. Defensive coordinator and safeties coach Greg Schiano said Fuller had "a little tweak on his leg" but is "going to be fine" and expected to return to practice Monday.
Walk-on wide receiver Michael Hartway was also sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Offensive lineman Gavin Cupp and linebackers Baron Browning, Malik Harrison and Keandre Jones all participated in Saturday morning’s practice but wore orange jerseys, indicating limited participation.
DEFENSIVE LINE DRILLS
Ohio State might have more defensive line depth than any other team in college football. That depth was on display on Saturday, as the defensive linemen went through their individual drills on the near end of the field, right in front of the media.
There’s only so much to be taken away from players maneuvering around inanimate objects, but the overall explosiveness of the group was evident as the defensive linemen demonstrated their ability to bend, burst and rip. In particular, one defensive lineman who stands out is true freshman defensive end Chase Young, who looks like a player ready to make an impact even though he has only been on campus for two months.
Watch the following video for an up-close look at some of what the defensive linemen were doing Saturday morning.
VISITORS AT PRACTICE
One reason why Ohio State’s practice was open to the media on Saturday: a crew from the Big Ten Network, including BTN host Dave Revsine and analysts Gerry DiNardo, Howard Griffith and Tom Dienhart were on hand to film and observe practice for their second stop of the BTN Bus Tour. Footage and analysis from Saturday’s practice is scheduled to air on BTN at 5 p.m. today.
Legendary Ohio State wide receiver Cris Carter was also on hand to watch Saturday’s practice, as were Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and well-known Buckeyes fan Jacob Jarvis, who scored the final touchdown in this year’s spring game.
Check back with Eleven Warriors later today for additional coverage from post-practice interviews.
