Please give to The Capital Times Kids Fund.

Mike Lucas: Packers' A.J. Hawk gets assist for Laurinaitis' return to Ohio State

Mike Lucas  —  8/20/2008 12:10 pm

Even though Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis kept getting off the ballcarrier, he wasn't keeping track of his tackles in last season's come-from-behind 38-17 victory over the University of Wisconsin football team in Columbus. "I had no idea how many I had," he said.

Maybe that's because someone else on the Buckeyes' defense was stealing his thunder -- namely, rush end Vernon Gholston, who was responsible for four of the 10 sacks registered against the Badgers. "I'm sure he's sore now," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said afterward of UW's beleaguered quarterback, Tyler Donovan.

Do you think?

Donovan was sacked nine times.

At least Big Ten offensive coordinators don't have to worry anymore about game planning for Gholston, a first-round draft choice of the New York Jets, who opted not to return for his senior year. Many thought Laurinaitis would follow the same path and leave school early. "But I still have a lot to prove," he said.

That was a telling revelation from a two-time consensus All-American, the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year and the 2007 Butkus Award winner, which annually goes to the nation's best linebacker. The only other Buckeye to win the Butkus was linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer, who was one of Laurinaitis' role models during his formative years in Wayzata, Minn.

Before making his decision to return, Laurinaitis consulted two former Ohio State players: linebacker A.J. Hawk, who played out his eligibility and was drafted in the first round by the Green Bay Packers in 2006; and wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who skipped his senior year and was taken in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2007.

"I wanted to get opinions from guys who were straight arrows and wouldn't beat around the bush," Laurinaitis said. "I knew they would give me a straight answer. A.J. came back, Gonzo left early. Both gave me some things to think about."

In the end, Laurinaitis bought into Hawk's reasoning on the value of taking full advantage of a senior year and the sense of urgency that accompanies it. Laurinaitis used that word -- "urgency" -- several times in detailing his thought process during an interview session in late July at the Big Ten Kickoff meetings in Chicago.

"I really wanted to go into a season where I know it's my last (at the collegiate level)," he said. "Now, my offseason training is going to maybe affect the way I play this season and how I test (with the pros) after the season. I'm excited for what this whole senior year will embody."

Laurinaitis added that the "urgency" factored into each of his workouts. "I'm not saying that the summers prior, I wasn't working extremely hard," he said. "But I was running twice a day this summer. I would run at 7:30 each morning, go to class, take a nap for 90 minutes and run again. So basically, I had no life."

Not only that, but he started eating better. "I took my diet seriously," acknowledged the 6-foot-3, 244-pound Laurinaitis, who may wind up playing outside linebacker in the NFL. "I realized all the little things are big things. Like eating."

Like tackling. Last season, he led Ohio State with 121 tackles, including a career-high 19 against Wisconsin. "It was just one of those games where things seemed to being going right. You know what I mean? Every play seemed to be going right," pleaded Laurinaitis, who also had a fumble recovery. "But I really had no idea how many tackles I had. I know my mom and dad keep track in the crowd."

Wearing his son's No. 33 jersey, Joe Laurinaitis is pretty easy to spot, though he has resisted any urge to wear his trademark face paint and spiked shoulder pads to home games in Ohio Stadium. If you followed pro wrestling, you'd recognize Joe as "Animal" -- one half of the Road Warriors, an old WWE tag team. Laurinaitis has admitted that it's fun to have a dad who's "an action figure."

As it was, Laurinaitis got great support from his family while he was wrestling with his decision on entering the draft.

"My dad made a list of pros and cons and presented both views to me," said Laurinaitis. "If I had left school, my mom and dad would still be my biggest fans. But deep down, I think they wanted me to graduate. My dad never graduated from college. Neither did my mom. If I get a degree, I'll be the first in our family."

Laurinaitis, who is on schedule to graduate next spring, has a younger sister, Jessica, who was an honorable mention All-State hockey defenseman at Wayzata High School.

She plans to walk on at Ohio State. His older brother, Joey, served with the army in Iraq and he's now a cop in Dayton. Laurinaitis is all about family, immediate and extended -- his Buckeyes teammates.

"I love great challenges," he said. "Outside of Ohio, I'm sure people are wondering if I can continue to play consistently at a high level. That motivates me. That drives me. I know the people in Ohio have my back. And I want to prove that I can do it to those people who believe in me."

What about proving that Ohio State can get back to the national championship game? What about proving that the Buckeyes can finally win it all?

"We expect that, pressure and expectations," Laurinaitis said. "You gotta love being at a school where you are expected to be great, and anything less is unacceptable. We have a quote in our locker room: 'With tradition comes responsibility.' That's so true. We have a tradition of being at the top of the Big Ten and top of the country, and we want to live up to it."

---

OHIO STATE SKINNY

Last season: 11-2; 7-1 Big Ten

Braintrust: head coach Jim Tressel, eighth year; offensive coordinator Jim Bollman, eighth year; defensive coordinators Jim Heacock, 13th year; and Luke Fickell, seventh year

Returning starters: 10 offense, 9 defense

All-Big Ten returnees: quarterback Todd Boeckman, first team; tailback Beanie Wells, first team; cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, first team; middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, first team; offensive tackle Alex Boone, second team; defensive end Marcus Freeman, second team

Triggerman: No. 17, Todd Boeckman, a fifth-year senior from St. Henry, Ohio, who threw for 2,379 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was intercepted 14 times.

Cheesehead connection: Former Ohio State linebacker Robert Reynolds, the enemy of Badger Nation, was suspended for one year by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy. This would be the same Reynolds who put a choke hold on former UW quarterback Jim Sorgi during the 2003 game in Madison, and the same Reynolds who smashed a cell phone and punched a hole in a wall during a domestic dispute two years ago. Good things come to good people. Or not.

By the numbers: Jot down No. 2. That would be freshman quarterback phenom Terrelle Pryor, the nation's No. 1 recruit, who brings the spread dimension to the Buckeyes.

Famous alums: Richard Lewis, Fred Silverman, Dwight Yoakam

Mascot grade: C. Brutus Buckeye will never be mistaken for Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, but he may be related to Mr. Met.

Tressel says: "It looks to me like (Pryor) is going to be very, very good. He's got extraordinary ability."

2008 schedule

(7 home, 5 road)

Aug. 30 -- Youngstown State

Sept. 6 -- Ohio

Sept. 13 -- at USC

Sept. 20 -- Troy

Sept. 27 -- Minnesota

Oct. 4 -- at WISCONSIN

Oct. 11 -- Purdue

Oct. 18 -- at Michigan State

Oct. 25 -- Penn State

Nov. 1 -- bye

Nov. 8 -- at Northwestern

Nov. 15 -- at Illinois

Nov. 22 -- Michigan

Not on schedule: Indiana, Iowa

---

BIG TEN PREVIEWS

Columns that run on Wednesdays will appear in the weekly Capital Times print editions. Others will run exclusively at www.captimes.com, and all previews will be archived online.

Wednesday, Aug. 6 -- Minnesota: Decker revels in double duty

A year removed from a move into an on-campus stadium, can the Gophers make a significant jump from a 1-11 start to the Tim Brewster coaching era?

Friday, Aug. 8 -- Michigan: Jamison adjusts to life with a new coach

The Wolverines went outside the "Michigan Man" lineage, and coach Rich Rodriguez has overhauled both the offensive and defensive schemes.

Monday, Aug. 11 -- Penn State: Penn State's high hopes rest on yet-to-be-named quarterback

The Nittany Lions, coming off a 9-4 campaign, return 18 players with starting experience for their 43rd -- and perhaps final -- season under coach Joe Paterno.

Wednesday, Aug. 13 -- Iowa: The turmoil continues off the field

The Hawkeyes missed a bowl game last season for the first time since 2000, raising questions about the direction of the program under Kirk Ferentz, one of the most highly paid coaches in the nation.

Friday, Aug. 15 -- Indiana: Starr sees Hoosier football renaissance

The Hoosiers won't have Michigan or Ohio State on the schedule for the second year in a row, and play eight of their first 10 games at home.

Monday, Aug. 18 -- Michigan State: Expectations 'very high,' QB Hoyer says

The Spartans return two key cogs of the highest-scoring offense in the Big Ten last year in Brian Hoyer and Javon Ringer, and aim to build on the momentum of a Champs Sports Bowl berth.

Wednesday, Aug. 20 -- Ohio State

Back-to-back drubbings in the national title game haven't dampened the optimism surrounding the Buckeyes, who are a consensus top-three preseason pick and get an early showdown at Southern Cal.

Friday, Aug. 22 -- Illinois

The Illini made a surprising run to the Rose Bowl last season and harbor aspirations of a second-straight BCS appearance behind the likes of quarterback Juice Williams and receiver Arrelious Benn, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Monday, Aug. 25 -- Purdue and Northwestern

The Badgers won't face either team this season, meaning they miss out on the final year of the Joe Tiller era at Purdue and a chance to square off against former defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, now at Northwestern.

Mike Lucas  —  8/20/2008 12:10 pm