Ohio State’s annual Jersey Scrimmage was played Saturday, August 22 and the defense managed to hang on to the coveted Scarlet jerseys with a 52-44 win over the offense. The offense only managed to score two touchdowns, one by the scout team who was running Navy’s offense and another on a pass from Terrelle Pryor to tight end Jake Ballard. The much aligned offensive line gave up seven touch-sacks.

Ohio State is always looking to reload after losing quality players to graduation or the NFL, and incoming freshman are the first place to look to help in the process. There are two freshman who appear to be in the running for the third running back spot, Jaamal Berry and Jordan Hall. Hall, a high school teammate of Pryor’s, appears to have an edge on Berry. He had probably the most exciting run of the day when he bounced outside for a 26-yard run. Jordan Hall finished the day with 5 carries for 46 yards, and Jaamal Berry toted the rock 5 times for only 6 yards. Freshmen Adam Homan and Zach Boren split time at fullback with the second and third groups.

Another 09 recruit who contributed during the jersey scrimmage was Duron Carter who had 2 catches for 19 yards.  At one point in the scrimmage, he had Andre Amos beat on the sidelines for what could have been a 50-yard touchdown, but Bauserman overthrew the ball. After watching the open practice last night, it appears Carter is the real deal. He seems to have great hands and made a few great catches in the end zone during the practice session. One in particular had him going up over his shoulder for a one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone.  Freshman Chris Fields also made an impressive catch at the open practice; a diving grab near the back of the end zone, where he managed to get one foot down before going out of bounds. Freshman Cory Linsley also looked impressive playing on the offensive line with the absence of left guard Justin Boren. During the open practice, Linsley got some reps with the first group, and appears to be quick and strong.

On the defensive side of the ball during the jersey scrimmage, freshman Storm Klein played one series with the first team at middle linebacker. He spent the rest of the day working with the second group. On the third team, there were three freshman working with the back seven: Jordan Whiting, Dorian Bell, and Jonathan Newsome. Orhian Johnsom alternated at safety with the second group.

Overall, it looks like at least several freshman will have an impact on this Buckeye squad come September 5th when Navy comes to The Shoe.

By Marlene Gundlach

Image Credit: Wiki Commons