Published: Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Rested Buckeyes working on Gators
The team arrived for its BCS title game individually.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Jim Tressel wasn't looking for any advantage. He's just comfortable in these parts.
"Why not come out to paradise a little bit earlier?" the Ohio State coach said Tuesday.
No. 1 Ohio State arrived in Arizona four days early for its national championship showdown with No. 2 Florida. Not that the Buckeyes — playing in Arizona for the fourth time in five years — shouldn't already feel at home.
"Our young people who have been here a couple of times have a comfort level of knowing their way around a little bit," Tressel said.
Officials for the Bowl Championship Series title game required teams on site Tuesday, but Ohio State chose to fly out sooner. Tressel thought it made little sense to come back from a holiday break, reconvene in Columbus and then travel to Arizona.
Own arrangements
Team members were not required to fly together. They were given travel money and could make their own arrangements, flying from their hometowns to save money and make the trip easier.
The Buckeyes worked out at Desert Mountain High School and stayed at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino, located on lands of the Yavapai Nation. Players were told the casino was off-limits, sports information director Steve Snapp said.
The team practiced Saturday at Desert Mountain, twice Sunday and once New Year's Day before getting Tuesday off to check into another hotel for the next week. Practice resumes Wednesday at Pinnacle High School. Ohio State is 3-0 when practicing at Pinnacle.
"We know the area; we know where we're going to stay. ... We're just very, very fortunate to be in this situation," quarterback Troy Smith said.
In Tressel's first year as Ohio State coach, he extended practice time to prepare for the Outback Bowl against South Carolina on Jan. 1, 2002. The Buckeyes lost 31-28, Tressel's only bowl loss in five tries.
This year's practice schedule was built around freeing players to spend Christmas with their families. The last practice in Columbus before the holiday was Dec. 23. Players were off until the team met again in Arizona on Friday.
Getting back to the Valley of the Sun was like a homecoming.
"It's been a great few days for us," Tressel said.
Helmet stickers
Junior receiver Ted Ginn Jr. holds the lead in the annual competition among players to see who can gather the largest pile of leaves.
The familiar helmet stickers featuring a cluster of five buckeye leaves are awarded for accomplishments on the field, in a tradition that Ohio State pioneered in 1968. Ginn's headgear is plastered with 99 decals.
"My helmet was full after the Northwestern game," he said. "But some people think I cheat because my head is not so big."
The stickers are a coveted icon, and the counts are followed closely.
"I actually have players come to me on Monday wanting to know exactly how many they earned," said Lewis Vanhoose, the Buckeyes' equipment manager. "If they are missing any, they are sure to let me know before the next game."
Vanhoose maintains an official tally in the practice facility at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, after Tressel and his staff review each game and decide which players receive leaves and how many each gets. When a player runs out of space on his helmet, Vanhoose said they just start placing stickers on top of one another.
Trainer Ernie Biggs began giving out the decals in the days of coach Woody Hayes to recognize outstanding individual achievements. Ohio State's invention inspired other schools to develop their own helmet or pride stickers.
For the Buckeyes, the custom of awarding stickers now stresses teamwork, in a bit of a transition under Tressel. There are 37 ways a player can earn leaves, and only six of those celebrate individual performance. When the team loses, no one gets a decal.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
The team arrived for its BCS title game individually.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Jim Tressel wasn't looking for any advantage. He's just comfortable in these parts.
"Why not come out to paradise a little bit earlier?" the Ohio State coach said Tuesday.
No. 1 Ohio State arrived in Arizona four days early for its national championship showdown with No. 2 Florida. Not that the Buckeyes — playing in Arizona for the fourth time in five years — shouldn't already feel at home.
"Our young people who have been here a couple of times have a comfort level of knowing their way around a little bit," Tressel said.
Officials for the Bowl Championship Series title game required teams on site Tuesday, but Ohio State chose to fly out sooner. Tressel thought it made little sense to come back from a holiday break, reconvene in Columbus and then travel to Arizona.
Own arrangements
Team members were not required to fly together. They were given travel money and could make their own arrangements, flying from their hometowns to save money and make the trip easier.
The Buckeyes worked out at Desert Mountain High School and stayed at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino, located on lands of the Yavapai Nation. Players were told the casino was off-limits, sports information director Steve Snapp said.
The team practiced Saturday at Desert Mountain, twice Sunday and once New Year's Day before getting Tuesday off to check into another hotel for the next week. Practice resumes Wednesday at Pinnacle High School. Ohio State is 3-0 when practicing at Pinnacle.
"We know the area; we know where we're going to stay. ... We're just very, very fortunate to be in this situation," quarterback Troy Smith said.
In Tressel's first year as Ohio State coach, he extended practice time to prepare for the Outback Bowl against South Carolina on Jan. 1, 2002. The Buckeyes lost 31-28, Tressel's only bowl loss in five tries.
This year's practice schedule was built around freeing players to spend Christmas with their families. The last practice in Columbus before the holiday was Dec. 23. Players were off until the team met again in Arizona on Friday.
Getting back to the Valley of the Sun was like a homecoming.
"It's been a great few days for us," Tressel said.
Helmet stickers
Junior receiver Ted Ginn Jr. holds the lead in the annual competition among players to see who can gather the largest pile of leaves.
The familiar helmet stickers featuring a cluster of five buckeye leaves are awarded for accomplishments on the field, in a tradition that Ohio State pioneered in 1968. Ginn's headgear is plastered with 99 decals.
"My helmet was full after the Northwestern game," he said. "But some people think I cheat because my head is not so big."
The stickers are a coveted icon, and the counts are followed closely.
"I actually have players come to me on Monday wanting to know exactly how many they earned," said Lewis Vanhoose, the Buckeyes' equipment manager. "If they are missing any, they are sure to let me know before the next game."
Vanhoose maintains an official tally in the practice facility at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, after Tressel and his staff review each game and decide which players receive leaves and how many each gets. When a player runs out of space on his helmet, Vanhoose said they just start placing stickers on top of one another.
Trainer Ernie Biggs began giving out the decals in the days of coach Woody Hayes to recognize outstanding individual achievements. Ohio State's invention inspired other schools to develop their own helmet or pride stickers.
For the Buckeyes, the custom of awarding stickers now stresses teamwork, in a bit of a transition under Tressel. There are 37 ways a player can earn leaves, and only six of those celebrate individual performance. When the team loses, no one gets a decal.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Jim Tressel wasn't looking for any advantage. He's just comfortable in these parts.
"Why not come out to paradise a...
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