Justin Zwick, Ohio State

"That staff will have him prepared for every possible scenario. Then he'll get hit in the mouth for the first time on the road, and he'll forget half of it." -- A Big Ten defensive coordinator

Two years of watching and waiting must pay off for Zwick, one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in school history. By Year 3, the complexities of the offense aren't as demanding, and development is more about adjusting to live action -- especially for a quarterback such as Zwick, a first-year starter with only eight career attempts . Zwick's lack of game experience will limit his ability to use audibles at the line, and that will curb creativity. The keys at this stage: Read defenses and avoid poor decisions. Confidence is an overriding theme, which is why quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels could spend a lot of time on the sideline massaging Zwick's psyche after mistakes.

Another factor to consider: Talented backup Troy Smith is pushing hard for the job. Although coach Jim Tressel says he doesn't want a two-quarterback system, Smith is an option if Zwick fails early.

INSIDE JUSTIN ZWICK'S GAME
Growth chart: 6-4, 205 in 2002; 6-4, 225 in '04.
Year 1: Redshirted.
Year 2: 4 games (0 starts), 4-of-8 (50.0 percent), 24 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs.
Strengths: He's the prototype pocket passer with a quick release and nice touch on the deep ball. Zwick has the physical frame to take a pounding, yet good mobility for a player his size. Tressel wants more balance on offense and wants to open up the passing game but only if Zwick can protect the ball.
Weaknesses: Zwick hasn't seen significant action for two years and must embrace Tressel's golden rule for his quarterbacks: The throwaway incompletion is your friend. He must learn to play within the offense instead of relying on his physical skills.

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Young OSU receivers ready for breakout season:
Young Ohio State receivers ready for breakout season

By Edward Mauler, The Lantern
August 17, 2004
(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Like the geese in Ohio this summer, former Ohio State wideouts Michael Jenkins and Drew Carter will be settling in the south this fall. Jenkins will be catching Michael Vick's passes in Atlanta while Carter will be running routes for the NFC champion Carolina Panthers.

OSU lost 14 players to the NFL draft in April -- a record number of draftees from one school since the draft was switched to a seven-round format 11 years ago. Atlanta selected Jenkins in the first round, and Carolina drafted Carter in the fifth round despite a surgically-repaired knee. Jenkins and Carter's absence will leave a void in the wide receiver nest at OSU, opening doors for current Buckeye wideouts to be the next in line for stardom on Saturdays in Ohio Stadium.

First-year wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell said the loss of Jenkins and Carter was significant, and the time is now for the new group of wideouts to show their stuff.

"Those guys are special guys; they're not NFL guys for no reason," he said. "But we always have guys that step up. We have a very good group of young receivers right now. They are eager and anxious to get on the field."

Hazell said he looks forward to seeing Santonio Holmes shine this year. Holmes finished last season strong, catching a combined five touchdown passes during the Michigan game and the Fiesta Bowl against Kansas State.

"Santonio is obviously the leader of the group -- he has the most field experience," Hazell said. "But Roy Hall, John Hollins, Devin Jordan, Tony Gonzalez and Bam [Childress] are going to be good players this year, and I'm looking forward to it."

Stepping out of Jenkins' and Carter's shadow may be a daunting task, but Holmes said he and his wideout teammates are ready for the challenge.

"We can be as productive as those guys," Holmes said. "[Jenkins and Carter] have taught us a lot from the past two seasons we worked with them. They were very helpful in everything. They told us from the very beginning to help out the younger guys and never put yourself above anyone on the team."

Holmes said his personal goal for this year is to emerge as a team leader, and he humbly hummed the tune that so many other of Tressel's players have echoed before: Personal achievements should not undermine team achievements.

"I'm just ready for the season to get kicked off and whatever happens at the beginning or during the course of the season is going to take place," Holmes said. "The last year we had the outright Big Ten championship was 1984. We have to make a statement this year going into the season. We are looking first and foremost to win the Big Ten championship, and my goal is to help be a leader on the team."

While the offense may be one of the biggest question marks for the 2004 version of the Buckeyes with the loss of two-year starting quarterback Craig Krenzel, tight end Ben Hartsock and three offensive linemen to the NFL draft, the defense also has holes to fill with the loss of several starters to the draft.

Defensive linemen Will Smith, Tim Anderson and Darrion Scott will all now play on Sundays this season. Defensive backs Chris Gamble and Will Allen along with linebacker Robert Reynolds will be joining them on NFL sidelines this fall.

The Buckeyes need to reload the silver-bullet defense that stymied Heisman hopefuls and dominated the vaunted Miami Hurricane offense during the 2002 national championship game.

Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said despite losing nearly half of the defense's starters from last year, the defense has the talent and the depth to fill the shoes of last year's vanished starters.

"All those guys are signed and making a lot of money right now," Snyder said about the former Buckeyes-turned-NFL players. "I think folks should know that those were some pretty good players, special players. We are working hard. We got a lot of guys reps in the spring. We should have depth this year; we're just looking for some guys to step up."

Justin Zwick
While it wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel finally announced that the offense will be handed over to former super-recruit Justin Zwick. The sophomore barely beat out Troy Smith for the starting quarterback job and barring any unforeseen problems should be one of the most prominent players on one of the nation's most prominent teams for the next three years.