2009 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Preview
2009 Ohio State Buckeyes season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Ohio State Buckeyes football preview as well as the 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Schedule. Dont miss Maddux's free college football picks on the weekly college football odds from the #1 sports handicapping team.
Coach: Jim Tressel (9th year at Ohio State)
Team Name: Buckeyes
2008 Overall Record: 10-3
Returning Starters: 12
The Ohio State Buckeyes (10- 3 overall, 7- 1 Big Ten) tied Penn State for first in the conference last season. The Buckeyes earned an invite to the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to Texas 21- 24. This season, look for OSU to be highly competitive and in the national spotlight throughout the entire season.
The offense features sophomore Terrelle Pryor (165 ATT, 100 COMP, 1,311 YDs, 4 INTs, 12 TDs) at the helm. He has a fine receiving unit to toss to, including junior Dane Sanzenbacher (21 REC, 272 YDs, 1 TD), who averaged 13.0 YPR, and sophomore DeVier Posey (11 REC, 117 YDs, 1 TD), who was good for 10.6 YPR. Although impressive RB “Beanie” Wells has gone pro, there’s still fine talent when it comes to the ground attack. Daniel Herron (89 ATT, 439 YDs, 6 TDs), a compact, powerful rusher, will provide plenty of running yards. QB Pryor (139 ATT, 631 YDs, 6 TDs) is also an adept runner. The O-line is massive and tough.
The Buckeyes put the sixth ranked defense on the field last season, allowing just 13.9 PPG. This season, the frontline is loaded with fine players, including junior sack-master Thaddeus Gibson (25 TKLs, 5 SKs, 4 TFL). There’s depth on this squad. The linebacking unit will miss All-American James Laurinaitis (130 TKLs, 4 SKs, 3 TFL, 2 INTs) and Marcus Freeman (84 TKLs, 3.5 SKs, 6 TFL). Still, this group does have talent, including junior Ross Homan (67 TKLs, 1 SK, 5 TFL). The secondary is rich and deep. Two seniors man the safety spots with Kurt Coleman (78 TKLs, 4 INTs) at SS and Anderson Russell (67 TKLs, 2 INTs) at FS. The corners are capable.
On the specialist front, OSU lost topnotch punter A.J. Trapasso and placekicker Ryan Pretorius. The good news is that kicker and fifth-year man Aaron Pettrey, who is a former starter, is good from 60 yards out. Jon Thoma, a fifth-year punter, will ably handle those duties. On the punt return front, Ray Small (24 RET, 15.2 AVG, 1 TD) is simply one of the best. Sophomore Lamaar Thomas (15 RET, 21.6 AVG, 0 TD) is back on kick returns. It’s hoped he can up his average by four to six yards.
Coach Jim Tressel (83- 19 in eight years at OSU) continues to recruit some of the best players in Ohio and from other states. This year he grabbed two top prospects from Pennsylvania—Corey Brown and Dorian Bell. The Buckeyes have lost a lot of talent but they still have QB Pryor, who is an accurate passer, smart runner and solid signal caller. On September 12, Ohio State hosts USC. This is a game that will go a long way in determining if OSU is a top team. Last year, the Buckeyes lost to the Trojans 3- 35. The game at Penn State on November 7 could be for the Big Ten Championship. Ohio State will take either first or second in the conference and earn an invite to either a BCS or upper tier bowl contest.
Ohio State Buckeyes Football Schedule
| Date | Team | Opponent | Site | Line | Total | Points | Opp Points |
| 9/5/2009 | Ohio St. | Navy | home | ||||
| 9/12/2009 | Ohio St. | USC | home | ||||
| 9/19/2009 | Ohio St. | Toledo | neutral | ||||
| 9/26/2009 | Ohio St. | Illinois | home | ||||
| 10/3/2009 | Ohio St. | Indiana | away | ||||
| 10/10/2009 | Ohio St. | Wisconsin | home | ||||
| 10/17/2009 | Ohio St. | Purdue | away | ||||
| 10/24/2009 | Ohio St. | Minnesota | home | ||||
| 10/31/2009 | Ohio St. | New Mexico St. | home | ||||
| 11/7/2009 | Ohio St. | Penn St. | away | ||||
| 11/14/2009 | Ohio St. | Iowa | home | ||||
| 11/21/2009 | Ohio St. | Michigan | away |
For more info on the 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football program, view their official website or read up on the rest of the Big Ten foes below.
