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Ohio State Football Insider: Young Offensive Linemen Making A Push To Play · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buck Eyes tomorrow morning for Tuesday, August twentieth.
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  Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tom Moore. The Ackburn game in eleven days,
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  Speaker 1: the game against Michigan in one hundred and two days. Today,
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  Speaker 1: you're going to be hearing from Ohio State offensive coordinator
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  Speaker 1: Chip Kelly. We got to talk chance to talk to
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  Speaker 1: him late last week, and just there's been a bunch
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  Speaker 1: of other stuff going on and we haven't gotten a
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  Speaker 1: chance to talk about that stuff on this show. So
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  Speaker 1: we're going to be doing that today. We're going to
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  Speaker 1: start with the big news that broke at the end
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  Speaker 1: of last week. Ohio State has its starting quarterback. That
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  Speaker 1: starting quarterback is Will Howard. Not exactly a huge surprise
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  Speaker 1: to anyone who's been following this thing real closely. But
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  Speaker 1: what was it that made Will Howard the guy who
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  Speaker 1: was pretty clearly the right decision for Ohio State to
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  Speaker 1: be their starting quarterback this year?
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  Speaker 2: You know, I think Will's earned it, you know, and
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  Speaker 2: we great everything and obviously he graded out the highest
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  Speaker 2: at the position. There's a lot of data driven information
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  Speaker 2: with that in terms of decisions that he makes on
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  Speaker 2: the field, you know, running offense, and it's it's just
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  Speaker 2: as critical to be that guy in the run game
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  Speaker 2: as it is in the past game in terms of
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  Speaker 2: what we asked.
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  Speaker 3: The quarterback to do here.
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  Speaker 2: So I think he's really worked extremely hard in the offseason.
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  Speaker 2: You know, from the end of spring ball on April
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  Speaker 2: thirteenth to now, he's made great strides. But you know,
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  Speaker 2: we gave him a plan over the summer to work
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  Speaker 2: on and he took it and ran with it. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, where he is now is pretty impressive, you know.
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  Speaker 2: And the one thing that you know he has is
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  Speaker 2: he has experience. He's been in a huddle, He's been
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  Speaker 2: in a huddle in a lot of games. He's been
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  Speaker 2: a huddle in big games, so you know, this isn't
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  Speaker 2: new to him. You know, Columbus is new to him,
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  Speaker 2: but playing college football isn't new to him. So I
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  Speaker 2: think that experience, you know, really started to shine through
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  Speaker 2: here during camp and you know, excited to see where
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  Speaker 2: he goes with us.
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  Speaker 1: There's obviously a lot that goes into playing starting quarterback
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  Speaker 1: for a team of Ohio States caliber. So when Chip
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  Speaker 1: Kelly is evaluating guys and trying to make that decision,
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  Speaker 1: what is the top factor in his mind when he's
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  Speaker 1: trying to piece through all the different pieces of information
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  Speaker 1: he's got.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think decision makings at the top of the
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  Speaker 2: list for all quarterbacks, just because that's what the game is,
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  Speaker 2: you know, It's it's are you putting.
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  Speaker 3: Us in the right player? Are you getting us out
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  Speaker 3: of a bad play?
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  Speaker 2: Are you making the decisions to throw the check down
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  Speaker 2: and try to instead of force?
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  Speaker 3: And then the coverage. You know, it's not just who has.
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  Speaker 2: The strongest arm, but the decision making process has always
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  Speaker 2: been at the top of the list. And then after
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  Speaker 2: that it would be repetitive accuracy, and then athleticism, you know,
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  Speaker 2: and I think Will has all three of those. His
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  Speaker 2: ability to help us in the run game is that
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  Speaker 2: we're going to be a really big plus for us
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  Speaker 2: this year, you know, because he's not just a guy
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  Speaker 2: that's going to hand it off back there. I think
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  Speaker 2: people are going to have to respect him with the
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  Speaker 2: ability to run again part of his work ethic in
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  Speaker 2: the offseason. I mentioned the other day he ran twenty
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  Speaker 2: two miles an hour the summer at two hundred and
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  Speaker 2: thirty six pounds, So you know there is a threat
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  Speaker 2: of a run from that position. So you're going to
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  Speaker 2: have to defend eleven. You know, some teams when you
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  Speaker 2: play against me, you have to defend ten because the
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  Speaker 2: quarterback's not gonna hurt you in the run game.
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  Speaker 3: But Will Ken, if you do now.
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  Speaker 2: There's not going to be a ton of quarterback driven
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  Speaker 2: run where we're just snapping the ball to him like
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  Speaker 2: he's Tim Tebow and just ramming them up in there.
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  Speaker 2: But there are certain packages that we have for our
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  Speaker 2: quarterbacks to make sure that we're keeping defenses honest.
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  Speaker 3: And I think as you said, you.
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  Speaker 2: Know, decision making, repetitive accuracy, and that athleticism.
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  Speaker 3: I think Will has all three of them.
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  Speaker 1: The quarterback is obviously the position he gets the most
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  Speaker 1: attention on the team and in terms of positional battles
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  Speaker 1: this year, but it might not be the biggest question
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  Speaker 1: heading into the season for Ohio State on offense. That
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  Speaker 1: is probably the offensive line. Feels like they've got four
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  Speaker 1: of those positions pretty much settled. The right guard position
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  Speaker 1: still a little bit up in the air, but they've
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  Speaker 1: been looking at a lot of different guys in a
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  Speaker 1: lot of different positions and trying to figure out good
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  Speaker 1: quality depth there. So which of the guys in the
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  Speaker 1: offensive line have really caught Chip Kelly's eye this fall.
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  Speaker 2: I think we've been forced because of the illness that's
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  Speaker 2: gone through. Jimmy spent some time out, Donn He spent
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  Speaker 2: some time out. Fits has spent some time out. Carson's
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  Speaker 2: been out for a little bit. Luke's been out for
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  Speaker 2: a little bit. So I think Zen and Alson are
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  Speaker 2: two guys that have really stepped up and kind of
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  Speaker 2: caught your eye that you know, maybe not as much
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  Speaker 2: as it was in the spring, but they're taking advantage
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  Speaker 2: of their reps. And I think, you know, one of
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  Speaker 2: the things he always preaches a coach and sometimes it's
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  Speaker 2: coach peak, you know, don't count your reps, make your
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  Speaker 2: reps count. But those two guys are two guys that
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  Speaker 2: have really made their reps count. I think Tegra because
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  Speaker 2: Tigers taking every snabsence you know, wasn't hasn't missed a day.
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  Speaker 3: He's made his reps counts. Seth has made his reps count.
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  Speaker 2: So, you know, those four guys have probably been the
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  Speaker 2: most consistent just because the other guys have been out,
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  Speaker 2: you know, so it's been in and out, in and out,
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  Speaker 2: in and out, so but those four guys have kind
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  Speaker 2: of stood out for us.
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  Speaker 1: That offensive line has kind of been up against it
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  Speaker 1: a little bit this fall. Yes, they have to go
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  Speaker 1: have been dealing with that virus, that funky virus as
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  Speaker 1: Ryan Day keeps calling it, going through that room and
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  Speaker 1: pulling guys out of practice here and there. But they
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  Speaker 1: also have to go against that defensive line every day,
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  Speaker 1: and the defensive line going to be one of the
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  Speaker 1: best in the nation. So how has that offensive line
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  Speaker 1: held up given all.
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  Speaker 2: Of that iron sharpens iron, you know, and when you
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  Speaker 2: got to go against Jack and k T and Teleague
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  Speaker 2: and Kenyat in that group every day, you know, you
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  Speaker 2: can't help but get better. And I think those guys
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  Speaker 2: have again have taken advantage of those opportunities that they've
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  Speaker 2: gotten and you can see growth, you know, from the
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  Speaker 2: spring until now. So you know, I think the one
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  Speaker 2: thing that we know is it's going to be a
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  Speaker 2: long season, so you got to develop those guys. You
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  Speaker 2: just you're just you're not going in the season with
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  Speaker 2: five onlignement. You know, it's just not going to happen
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  Speaker 2: when you're playing a sixteen game season. So when you're
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  Speaker 2: gonna play that many games, you're going to have as
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  Speaker 2: much depth as you can, and I think because those guys,
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  Speaker 2: you know, you never wish an illness or a person
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  Speaker 2: to mispractice on anybody, but there are sometimes some benefits
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  Speaker 2: of it. And the benefits of it is those guys
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  Speaker 2: that have gotten extra repts in these last week or
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  Speaker 2: so have really benefited from it.
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  Speaker 1: One player who seems like he's gotten on a lot
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  Speaker 1: of radars this fall with some strong player in Campus Austin, Siraveld.
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  Speaker 1: We have seen him at both guard and tackle at
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  Speaker 1: various spot at points during the fall. So what is
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  Speaker 1: it about his skill set that makes him potentially at
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  Speaker 1: an option at tackle as well as inside.
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  Speaker 2: He's done both, you know, and I think the one
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  Speaker 2: thing he's over six ' five. He's long, you know,
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  Speaker 2: so he's got the size to play tackle, but he's
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  Speaker 2: he's put together. He kind of looks like a guard,
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  Speaker 2: but until you pull up on him and go on
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  Speaker 2: and know he was actually that tall. We had that
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  Speaker 2: conversation the other day, like what is you know, he's
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  Speaker 2: six or five two, he's got the requisite arm length
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  Speaker 2: to play tackle and to have guys that are positioned
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  Speaker 2: versatile that aren't your starters, that can be guard tackles
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  Speaker 2: or center guards is critical in terms of being able
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  Speaker 2: to do that, you know, so you're always trying to
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  Speaker 2: find really your top eight. You know, who's your backup center,
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  Speaker 2: who's the backup guard, who's the backup tackle. You know,
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  Speaker 2: if there's someone that can be a guard tackle, then
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  Speaker 2: that's obviously beneficial.
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  Speaker 1: Back to quarterback now for one minute, and Chip Kelly
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  Speaker 1: was asked about Will Howard coming out of spring he
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  Speaker 1: was not necessarily a finished product in terms of being
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  Speaker 1: ready to be the Ohio State starting quarterback. Then, so
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  Speaker 1: what did he have to improve to get from there
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  Speaker 1: to where he is now?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, just the specifics of the position, you know, so
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  Speaker 2: really footwork at the quarterback spot when throwing the ball,
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  Speaker 2: you know, your ability to set up, your ability to
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  Speaker 2: have a base, you know, your ability to drive the
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  Speaker 2: football really starts from your feet up. And I think
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  Speaker 2: he worked extremely hard from that standpoint in terms of
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  Speaker 2: throwing the ball. I know Ryan had mentioned earlier this
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  Speaker 2: season he felt like there was more zip this this
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  Speaker 2: camp than we were during the springtime, you know, and
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  Speaker 2: then really the grasp of the offense, because I also
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  Speaker 2: think you can put zip on the football when you
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  Speaker 2: know where it's supposed to go, you know, when you
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  Speaker 2: go back there and some time you're somewhat tentative with it.
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  Speaker 2: If they're not coming out of your hand. Is quick
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  Speaker 2: because your decision making process, isn't that? So really watching film,
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  Speaker 2: you know, and Will is a huge film junkie. He's
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  Speaker 2: always in the quarterback room watching something, trying to study it,
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  Speaker 2: going through it, calling plays out, working on calling a
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  Speaker 2: play out of a huddle, you know, how to how
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  Speaker 2: do I because sometimes he can get it can get
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  Speaker 2: really worthy, you know, to practice all those things understanding
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  Speaker 2: that that aspect of the game. But I think from
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  Speaker 2: a physical standpoint, really getting his feet going in the pocket,
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  Speaker 2: being able to put a little bit more zip on
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  Speaker 2: the ball, you know, mechanically making sure that kennethenic chain
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  Speaker 2: is all working in one motion at the same time.
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  Speaker 2: And then just the grasp total of the offense of
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  Speaker 2: what we're doing and getting a really good feel of that.
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  Speaker 2: I feel really good about this, and then being able
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  Speaker 2: to communicate like this package is I'm still a little
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  Speaker 2: all right, then let's let's grind on this one a
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  Speaker 2: little bit. How do you feel about quick game? I'm
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  Speaker 2: feel really good about that. All right, then, let's let's
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  Speaker 2: move and find out what you know, because we're teachers,
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  Speaker 2: and teachers is just really education is the transportation and knowledge.
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  Speaker 2: But you can't transport that knowledge to an individual if
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  Speaker 2: you don't know what he knows. So he was really
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  Speaker 2: open with his feet back of you know, I feel
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  Speaker 2: really good about this. I think I need to work
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  Speaker 2: on this. So spending time with him and just getting
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  Speaker 2: a chance to visit with him on those things I
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  Speaker 2: think really shown up from this camp.
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  Speaker 1: And finally a guy who has had been a very
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  Speaker 1: big name player for Ohio State for the last couple
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  Speaker 1: of years, whose name has kind of slipped to the
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  Speaker 1: cracks in some way. This fall, we're gonna be talking
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  Speaker 1: about a Mecca Abuka and yeah, everyone wants to talk
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  Speaker 1: about Jeremiah Smith and yeah, yeah, we get it. And
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  Speaker 1: Carnel Tate making that second year leap, and hey, Brandon
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  Speaker 1: is coming on real strong. Is that fourth receiver? We
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  Speaker 1: get it, We understand, don't sleep on a Mecca Abuka,
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  Speaker 1: and the team certainly is not. He was named a
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  Speaker 1: captain over the weekend had it was singled out for
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  Speaker 1: having a really, really big day during the buckeyes first
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  Speaker 1: scrimmage a couple of weekends ago. So does Chip Kelly
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  Speaker 1: look at Mecca Abuka and was he reminded of anyone
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  Speaker 1: he's had on teams before who's played in that slot position.
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  Speaker 3: I think he's in a box on his own.
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  Speaker 2: A lot of the slot receivers that I've had in
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  Speaker 2: the past have been smaller, you know, and and then
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  Speaker 2: somewhat mismatches from that standpoint. But mexibility to go in
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  Speaker 2: and dig out linebackers, you know, mexibility to carry the football,
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  Speaker 2: and then mexibility to get open and make really tough
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  Speaker 2: context contested catches, I think is really what kind of
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  Speaker 2: sets him apart, because.
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  Speaker 3: He can do everything in there, you know.
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  Speaker 2: I think sometimes the prototypical slot receivers that's small, quick,
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  Speaker 2: get in and out of things. But it really affects
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  Speaker 2: you in the run game because you're trying to run
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  Speaker 2: the ball and he's an inside guy, and now all
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  Speaker 2: of a sudden he's at the point of attack, you know,
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  Speaker 2: and and all of a sudden he kind of looking
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  Speaker 2: over his shoulder hoping they.
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  Speaker 3: Don't run him over where. Mech isn't like that, you know, Mech.
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  Speaker 2: Mech really can can do a lot of things, and
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  Speaker 2: to have that versatility, I think is something that we
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  Speaker 2: hopefully we're gonna have a lot of fun with this
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  Speaker 2: this fall, trying to put him around, put him in
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  Speaker 2: different positions, and allow him to make plays because he
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  Speaker 2: really is a playmaker.
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  Speaker 1: We will be back inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center
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  Speaker 1: a little later on on Tuesday evening talking to Ohio
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  Speaker 1: State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey and his tight ends,
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  Speaker 1: Ohio State safeties coach mech and his safeties. It can
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  Speaker 1: be a lot of interesting stuff to talk about in
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  Speaker 1: the final week of fall camp. Next week is officially
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  Speaker 1: game week in Columbus. That countdown we've been doing all
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  Speaker 1: year long. While it is almost down to zero, we
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  Speaker 1: are very very close to single digits, very close to
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  Speaker 1: double digits on the Michigan game. It is really that
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  Speaker 1: season really almost here, and we hope you spend that
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  Speaker 1: whole season with us At Buckeye Huddle dot com. That's
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  Speaker 1: where Kevin, Tony and I cover the team, Mark covers recruiting,
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  Speaker 1: and make you a smarter football fan. Plus a really
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Ruby Steakhouse. That's all at buckeyehuddle dot com. We
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: hope to see you there. That'll do it for today.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you guys all for joining us. Have a great day.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk to you tomorrow