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| Ohio State does the slow burn when talk turns to who's the fastest Tuesday, January 1, 2008 3:09 AM By Ken Gordon THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Being an Ohio native, Brian Hartline might be slow by definition, but his mind was racing. The receiver got flustered while answering questions about the dreaded "Southern speed" that Ohio State will face Jan. 7 against Louisiana State in the national championship game. Several times, Hartline had to stop himself as his thoughts came faster than he could sort them out. "Yeah, we're not fast. We're slower than normal," Hartline said sarcastically. "I don't know, it's so sensitive. … I don't understand how the people down in the (Southeastern Conference) are like, not human, and then we are human or something." If there's one subject sure to boil the Buckeyes' blood, it's speed. It goes hand in hand with the SEC's supposed superiority over the Big Ten, even though the conferences have split their meetings in bowl games the past decade. The stereotype is that Southern teams are more athletic, with wide-open offenses, and Northern teams are plodding and run-oriented. "I don't know how you can say we're slow," center Jim Cordle said. "Look at the guys we have: (cornerback Malcolm) Jenkins, (defensive end Vern) Gholston, (linebacker James) Laurinaitis, (receiver Brian) Robiskie. "Those are the top athletes at their position group in the nation. We have guys that can run on this team." LSU players were careful not to provide any motivational fodder when the subject came up. "Maybe when you break it down man to man, we may have a little more speed, but I mean, they're fast, too," running back Charles Scott said. "They give out scholarships at Ohio State, too. So, hey, speed is not going to be a big factor in the game. It's who game-plans the best and who wants it more." LSU running back Jacob Hester said, "Everyone in Division I football is going to have speed. It doesn't matter what conference you're in. We watched film on James Laurinaitis, and that guy gets to the ball -- as soon as the ball is snapped, it seems like he's to the running back. "They definitely have got enough speed to hang with anybody in the country. Their defensive ends are probably as fast as most people's linebackers." LSU coach Les Miles said if the teams were racing, he'd bet on his blazing sophomore all-purpose back Trindon Holliday, "but we're not racing. I promise you I watched that team (Ohio State), and there is no appreciable (speed) difference." Some of this perception stems from the 2007 title game, when Florida's defensive line demolished Ohio State's offensive line in a 41-14 romp. But if the Gators were so fast, why were they unable to hit on any long plays? Their longest gain was 20 yards. They averaged 3.6 yards a carry and 8.2 yards a reception, hardly what one would expect if their players were so much faster than the Buckeyes. "They say the SEC speed is tremendous, but if you look at the film of last year, Florida out-toughed us," Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington said. "They played a hard brand of football. They got off the ball harder than we did." Hartline's younger brother Mike plays quarterback for Kentucky, so the two have talked about the speed issue. Brian said they agreed that some of the difference is in style of play, not speed. In the SEC, more teams play man-to-man coverage, Brian said. That leads to big-play opportunities. The Big Ten features more zone coverage, which keeps the ball in front of defenders and prevents long plays. Weather is a factor, as well. Big Ten teams must be able to revert to a ball-control, power run game if they hope to be successful in November in places such as Madison, Wis., or Ann Arbor, Mich. Southern teams never play in the cold. Florida's last game in a Northern state was a 1991 loss at Syracuse. LSU has not traveled north since. Still, there is a consensus that the South contains a deeper pool of athletes. "In the early 1960s, Mississippi became the first school to hold an offseason conditioning program," said Gil Brandt, a former personnel chief of the Dallas Cowboys who works for NFL.com. "Because of the weather, you have a lot more kids doing more running in the Southern states." Brandt said that per capita, the South sends the most players to the NFL. Louisiana ranked first, followed by Mississippi. "If you took the top 10 guys from Ohio or New Jersey, they would be just as fast as the top guys on any team from the South," Brandt said. "But if you took the top 100, there would be more speed on Southern teams." Bobby Olive was born in Tennessee and grew up in Atlanta before playing receiver for Ohio State in the 1980s. "When it comes to wide receiver and defensive backs, it's pretty even," Olive said. "The difference comes when you're talking about linemen. The SEC has smaller linemen, and naturally that means they're a little faster. The Big Ten has bigger guys on the line." The Buckeyes can settle the argument only one way, by winning next week. "They can say they have speed," Robiskie said. "But hopefully, at the end of the day, they're talking about us a little bit." |
| QUOTE (andyr78 @ Jan 1 2008, 04:46 PM) |
| Hartline needs to be a little more careful with his choice of words. After reading what people are saying over on the LSU forums, I am sure they will have this one pasted all over the place. |