Buckeye Blogger Network
The Buckeye Battle Cry will be counting down the Top 25 players of the past decade all spring/summer. Every Monday and Thursday, Jim will be announcing a new player. Our #1 player will be presented on Monday, August 30th. Three days later, the 2010 season officially begins. To view the previous entries in our Top 25, click here.
Antonio Pittman’s career at Ohio State was overshadowed by the emergence of Beanie Wells during the 2006 season and in subsequent years.
Beanie’s sophomore year in 2007 cemented him as the best Ohio State back of the decade, quickly erasing many fan’s thoughts of Pittman and his outstanding career.
While many fans will remember Wells as the premiere back at Ohio State from the past decade, Pittman’s contributions should not be overlooked.
In fact, it would be a disservice to one of the best backs in Ohio State history if we did not acknowledge Pittman’s role in Ohio State’s excellence during the Tressel Era.
It 2004 Pittman arrived at Ohio State as a relatively unheralded freshman out of Akron, Ohio. He was thrown onto the field (perhaps a bit prematurely) almost immediately due to a lack of depth and a lack of production from the starters (in their defense, it was partly due to injury).
While Pittman was undersized and unprepared for the beating that backs take in the Big 10, when healthy and on the field, Pittman provided a spark to the worst rushing offense that Ohio State fielded in some time. Read More
If you’re like most football fans you probably play some form of fantasy football. It gives me the ability to have a rooting interest in any NFL game I watch. I also like to have hometown players on my team but since I live in Cleveland that’s not such a good idea. So if you’re an Ohio State fan and are playing fantasy you may like to have a Buckeye on your team. Here’s a quick look at OSU players in the NFL and what their fantasy prospects might be.
Troy Smith – Baltimore Last year his tonsils gave the job to Joe Flacco and he’s not getting it back anytime soon. If Flacco struggles or gets injured jump on the waiver wire and snag him. Other than that he’s not worth drafting
Antonio Pittman – St Louis Rams He’s number two behind Steven Jackson and won’t get many carries while Jackson is around. If you draft Jackson in the first round he’s worth picking up as a handcuff but other than that probably not draft worthy.
Chris Wells – Arizona Cardinals This is an interesting one. I had high hopes for his rookie season when I saw he was picked by Arizona, but since then I’ve become more skeptical. He missed OTAs to actually finish his spring classes and then suffered an injury early in camp. Meanwhile Tim Hightower has been putting on quite a preseason performance. What does this mean? I don’t know – could go either way. I would definitely draft him but I wouldn’t count on starting him until we see where the season is going. Still I predict quite a future in the NFL for Beanie.
Joey Galloway – New England Patriots Injured last year, now in New England behind Moss and Welker. Could see some production if he’s healthy, and remember it is Brady throwing the ball
Ted Ginn Jr – Miami Dolphins Lots of upside here. Year three is when lots of receivers blossom in the NFL. I’d draft him as my number 3 receiver. He hasn’t shown he can do it yet but this may be the year.
Anthony Gonzalez – Indianapolis Colts His third year in the league. Marvin Harrison is gone. This guy has sleeper written all over him. I predict 1200 yards and 10+ TDS. Don’t jump too soon – he’ll probably slip into the 4th round but he will be a first round worthy pick this year.
Santonio Holmes – Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl winning catch will make him go earlier in the draft than he probably should. Still he’s a good receiver playing for a championship team. Hines Ward is getting older and Holmes will take over main receiving duties eventually. Is this the year? Maybe but don’t overreach for him.
Michael Jenkins – Atlanta Falcons Defenses will be keyed on Michael Turner running the ball and the Falcons two main aerial threats – Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. This should leave lots of one on one situations for Jenkins. He’s developed into a deep threat and could put up some numbers this year.
Brian Robiskie – Cleveland Browns Last year I went against my better judgment and drafted a Brown. That Brown was Braylon Edwards. I learned my lesson. That being said Robiskie has great hands and runs good routes. Someone has to catch the ball in Cleveland. I wouldn’t be against having him as a backup but I’d be wary of anyone wearing brown and orange this year.
Mike Nugent – Tampa Bay Buccaneers Don’t ever draft a kicker before the last round. And Nugent may not even have the starting job in TB. Stay away.
Ah, Anthony Gonzalez….we do love you so.
The picture you see here was taken in the first two minutes of the game in 2004. The struggling Buckeyes were not expected to do much against #7 Michigan, but nobody told that to the boys in the uniforms. Gonzalez caught a 68-yard pass early on for a TD, and we spent the rest of the day steamrolling the Wolverines 37-21.
Oh, and we haven’t lost to them since then either.
But the play we want to focus on more at The BBC happened one year later. Let’s take you there…..
November 19, 2005 – With only 7 and a half minutes to play, Michigan fans were in celebration mode after their team took a commanding 21-12 lead over the Buckeyes. But Ohio State was prepared to show Wolverine fans that the party wasn’t started yet.
It took just 5 plays and barely over a minute of the game clock for QB Troy Smith to go down the field for a TD strike to Santonio Holmes, cutting the deficit down to 21-19. The ensuing Michigan drive stalled quickly, but a punt pinned Ohio State at their own 12 with just over 4 minutes left in the game.
The Buckeyes never even faced a third down on that winning drive, as Smth, Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr sliced through the defense in 6-to-11 yard chunks.
And then it happened.
At the Michigan 31 yard line, the Buckeyes lined up for first down. Ten seconds later, nobody could believe what they had just witnessed –
Smith dancing away from a tackle was a work of art, and Gonzalez’ catch was pure magic.
Being down two points and having a deadly placekicker, the game was all but over. But Jim Tressel didn’t want to leave much time on the clock, so he ran Smith off right tackle to burn some clock (and force Michigan to use their final time out). With under 30 seconds to play, RB Antonio Pittman blasted through a demoralized Michigan squad for the winning score, and the celebration shifted from 105,000 fans in blue to the 5K wearing scarlet.
For that amazing catch, and for a career filled with excitement for Buckeye fans….. Anthony Gonzalez, enjoy your day!
11 days until kickoff!
Most Michigan players are used to seeing the back of Pittman's jersey
We can't lose, cause we got 'Los
25 days left until college football season begins in Columbus!
Our two heroes today are well known for their rushing expertise. Both are in the Top 10 for Ohio State all-time rushing yards. We bring you Antonio Pittman and Carlos Snow! I’ve persoanlly seen both of them in action, and I honestly don’t know which one was better….but I do know they were both fun as hell to watch!
…and here’s some video highlights to brighten your day!
Watch that Snow video again….notice that at :47 seconds, Ohio State players are piling on snow in the Michigan end zone, and some guy wearing a scarlet jacket is holding a beer and patting Buckeye players on the back. This guy just came out of the stands and calmly showed his appreciation. Of course, at :54, he’s being shoved in the back by a maize-jacketed security guard, but still. That’s freakin’ awesome.
Yes, I was in that end zone for that 1987 Michigan game…and no, that guy is not me.
25 days left!
Lydell Ross. He does have henchmen, motherfucker
Being a running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes this decade was certainly interesting. It always had it’s highs, and it had it’s lows. But it was always interesting.
Especially for our RBs, it was either sink or swim, and you know who the swimmers were. On the field, they carried the names of Beanie, Pittman, and Clarett. But the ones who didn’t grab the headlines were no laughing matter either. Take for example, our star of the day, Lydell Ross.
Ross was never the central focus of any Buckeye offensive scheme, but he got the job done for us whenever his number was called. Yet, he’s never listed among the men who carried the load for us this decade.
It’s hard to imagine that a guy who averaged over 4 yards a carry in his final two years at Ohio State as someone who isn’t remembered much outside of Columbus, but that’s not the case here at The BBC. We wish to honor Lydell for his dedication to The Ohio State University, and for his 2,300+ yards while in a Buckeye uni.
Plus, this was one of the toughest runs you could find from any player (second play in the clip).
Here’s to you, Lydell Ross.
30 days until kickoff!
Raymont Harris graduated from the Ohio State University in the Top 5 of all-time Buckeye running backs. His 2,649 yards were mostly from bowling over defenders, and generally proving the cliche’ about “running downhill”.
Since his departure from Columbus, five more backs have since passed him on the all-time yardage list (Eddie George, Pepe Pearson, Michael Wiley, Antonio Pittman and Beanie Wells), but his rank among the Top 10 will likely be untouched for some time (unless Terrelle Pryor rushes for 1k each of his sophomore and junior seasons).
Harris was the starting tailback during an era of incredibly talented backs at Ohio State. Before he got the starting job, Robert Smith, Carlos Snow, and Vince Workman were the starters. After Harris left, it was Eddie George, Pepe Pearson, and Michael Wiley. That’s one hell of a history to be a part of.
Today, we raise our glass to you, Raymont Harris!
34 days until kickoff!
"As soon as the ball is snapped, I'm kicking HIS ass!"
Is was just a few short years ago that a trio of linebackers roamed the middle of our defense, and they were vicious. A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel, and today’s hero, Bobby Carpenter.
These three were easily the best batch of men to play LB at the same time for Ohio State (although we’re pretty sure that Chris Spielman could have scared the piss out of any two of them at once), but what made them special was the way they bonded together off the field as well.
As a matter of fact, Bobby Carpenter may have won the 2005 Michigan game for the Buckeyes without playing a single down that counts.
Carpenter broke his leg on the first play that Michigan tried from the line of scrimmage…and the play was called back due to a flag. A tearful Carpenter would later return to the sidelines on crutches, unable to play in his final Michigan game of his life.
Midway through the 4th quarter with Ohio State trailing by 9 points, the rally cry around the bench began….the team wanted to win this one for Bobby. Troy Smith, Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr, Anthony Gonzalez, and the rest of the offense joined in the call for their defensive ally, and the Buckeyes played like their lives depended on a victory. They marched down the field for a quick TD to cut the deficit to two points, then held firm on defense as Michigan could not hold onto the ball very long.
The offense retook the field with under 4 minutes to play and with Carpenter right there on the edge of the field screaming, and they marched nearly the entire length of the field……without ever seeing a third down play. Antonio Pittman took it in from a yard out for the game winner with 25 seconds left as Ohio State won their 4th game in 5 years against their hated rival.
Carpenter would never play another game in scarlet and gray. But the legend of what he brought to the field lives on.
42 days until kickoff!
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P.S. Before any diehards get upset, we were going to highlight Paul Warfield at #42, but very few quality pictures exist of him in a Buckeyes #42 jersey. TONS of Browns and Fins pics, but no OSU. We did not overlook PW.
