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Hello and welcome to another edition of Cus Words Sports!
Today we continue our year-long look at Jim Tressel’s first season as head coach at Ohio State as it played out 25 years ago, powered by the Buckeye Sports Bulletin archives. For the first edition from this series, click here.
On Sept. 8, 2001, Ohio State beat Akron 28-14.
The game served as not only Tressel’s debut as head coach of the Buckeyes but also the first game at the newly renovated Ohio Stadium with permanent South Stands, new press box and more.
The game foreshadowed Tressel’s 10 years at the helm in some ways, but in others, it did not at all:
Ohio State was not flashy but was effective on offense (Yes)
The same could be said of the defense, which only allowed one touchdown against a future NFL QB (Yes)
The Buckeyes also took advantage of a special teams gaffe by recovering a muffed punt to set up a 1-yard touchdown drive (Yes)
Ohio State fumbled five times but recovered three. (No)
The game ended up being closer in the fourth quarter than it might have needed to be thanks to a pick-6, but the defense took care of business in the end. (Yes)
Tressel sounded a lot like Tressel after the game: “This is a great opportunity to be with a bunch of great kids. It was a new experience. We got to baptize a new home and a new coaching staff. We’ll have the opportunity to enjoy this win and also a chance to learn some things from it.”
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How it played out
New starting tailback Jonathan Wells scored the first touchdown of the Tressel era on a 14-yard run in the first quarter, picking up blocks from fullback Jamar Martin and receiver Ricky Bryant on his way to the end zone.
Martin scored the second touchdown of the day on a 10-yard catch later in the first quarter.
Steve Bellisari completed 15 of 24 passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns and was name Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on offense.
The senior southpaw did not throw an interception, but he did fumble four times, one of which was recovered by the Zips, and had an interception go through a defensive back’s hands.
Tressel credited his veteran QB for handing the huddle and doing a good job with run checks.
He also told the senior, “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” after Bellisari under threw a pass that should have been intercepted by an Akron defender but instead went through his hands and right to Chris Vance, who raced the rest of the way to the end zone for the last Ohio State score of the day.
The defense made life tough for redshirt freshman Akron quarterback Charlie Frye, who completed 15 of 31 passes for 134 yards and a TD. (He would be a third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2005 and would spend six years in the NFL.)
Although his numbers were nothing to write home about, Frye impressed Ohio State defenders in his first of four seasons as the starter for the Zips.
“He’s a tough kid,” said linebacker Matt Wilhelm. “He’s a good competitor. You lay him out and he keeps getting up. He led the team well.”
A new Horseshoe, too
Ohio State spent roughly $210 million renovating 87-year-old Ohio Stadium, a project that took three years to complete.
Fans told Buckeye Sports Bulletin they appreciated the work, including one who noted the experience actually felt more intimate with the track having been removed, the field lowered and more seats added closer to the sidelines (replacing bleachers that had been on the old track). More seats were also added around the top of the stadium.
“It’s gotten bigger, but the fact that it’s higher, closer, tighter it’s a more intimate feeling, and if you couple that with what the coach is doing making the players relate more to the fans, it’s a wonderful experience now. It’s a great place to bring your family,” said Mike Zetts of Canton.
He did have a problem with the concessions, though.
“Believe it or not, you can’t get a hamburger and you can’t get a chicken sandwich, but you can get a lot of hot dogs.”
He appreciated the team signing the alma mater with the band in the south end after the game.
“What went on after the game is as important as what went on during it. More is going on here than just trying to win football games, and that’s really needed.”
What did we learn about that vaunted Tressel/Bollman offense?
Maybe not a lot.
BSB’s Jeff Rapp noted that Tressel “somewhat resembled the manager of an ice cream parlor with his neatly pressed white shirt, vest and tie” and that he “scooped up a big old heap of vanilla on day one.”
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman confirmed the attack was “very basic today,” while tackle Tyson Walter lamented not getting more points off of a 500-yard day.
One noteworthy development: Ohio State went up-tempo with the offense at one point in the second quarter, something Tressel said could be expected to be seen again at some point.
“We’ve always got to have the ability to go no-huddle. I think it’s important. The offense, in my mind, is in charge of creating the tempo of the game, and our offense has got to make sure we can seize that tempo and make sure it’s in Ohio State’s favor.”
Hey, that sounds promising, doesn’t it?
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Other notes from game one
Wells ran 24 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns while Sammy Maldonado added 68 yards on 14 carries.
Ohio State’s revamped receiving corps had some highlights, including the 61-yard touchdown catch by Vance, a junior-college transfer, and sophomore Michael Jenkins grabbing six balls for 106 yards.
Seven true freshmen made their debuts: WRs Angelo Chattams and Chris Gamble, TB Maurice Hall and Lydell Ross, safety Dustin Fox, defensive lineman Simon Fraser and kicker Mike Nugent.
Tressel endorsed continuing to play an Ohio-based MAC team every year that began in 1997. “That creates a great opportunity for a lot of young people to play in Ohio Stadium. It allows various parts of the state to come in here and play. For us, it’s a good opportunity to have an extra home game.”
Ohio State also debuted the pregame “Hive” with the players walking across the south end zone arm in arm 40 minutes before kickoff. “He brought us together as a team out there. We were one body, and that’s something we haven’t ben for the last two years. Then we could have broken down, but we stayed together.”
Ohio State moved up to No. 21 in The Associated Press poll and opened as a 17.5-point favorite against San Diego State.
That’s all for this edition of the Tressel Tales, a recurring feature of my CusWordsSports newsletter.
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I’ll be back later this week with more as the present-day Buckeyes prepare to open the season against Ball State on Saturday, but you can also find my stories and (message board posts) at PressProsMagazine.com, BuckeyeInsiders.com and BuckeyeSports.com.
