OSU has different look since Rose Bowl victory

Katherine K. Gardiner Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore tailback Trung Canidate (30) runs through and around the Alabama-Birmingham defense during the Wildcat's game on Saturday. Arizona running backs face a stiffer challenge in No. 9 Ohio State this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

The Wildcats face the daunting task of going to Buckeye Stadium in Columbus to take a shot at the 2-0 OSU squad that defeated Arizona State 20-17 last year in the Rose Bowl. UA head coach Dick Tomey knows it's not going to be easy.

"We will sell this as: Go for it, have fun, and enjoy it," he said. "This is one of those games that you prize, as a player or a coach. We will have nine weeks after this that will be wars."

The 1997 Ohio State squad the Wildcats will face however, is not quite the same team that came from behind to beat the Sun Devils last season.

"We lost more quality football players last year than at any time in my coaching career," OSU head coach John Cooper said.

The biggest loss for the Buckeyes, in both size and importance, was 6-foot-6, 330 pound offensive lineman Orlando Pace, who was taken with the first overall pick by the St. Louis Rams. A two-time Lombardi Award winner and two-time All-American, Pace leaves a gaping hole in the line Ü which has kept first year offensive coordinator Mike Jacobs up at night.

Attempting to fill Pace's huge shoes at left tackle will be freshman Tyson Walter. The 6-foot-5, 305 pound Walter nailed down the spot during spring ball after adding 25 pounds and improving his strength.

On defense, the Buckeyes lost most of their secondary to the draft. Cornerback Shawn Springs, a first team All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, was close behind Pace in the draft, being selected third overall by the Seattle Seahawks. Also gone is cornerback Ty Howard and safety Rob Kelly.

The defensive line is left to fill the spots left open by the departures of Mike Vrabel and Matt Finkes, who rank one and two in career sacks at OSU.

Fifth-year senior John Day will get his first chance to start after spending past seasons backing up Finkes. Day appeared in eight games last year. Junior Jeff Wilson replaces the All-American Vrabel.

In all, 17 seniors from last year's squad were either drafted or signed by the NFL. Despite the losses, Cooper remains confident about this season.

"We have some very talented players returning and based on what I saw in the spring, I expect this to be a good football team," Cooper said.

So far, it looks like Ohio State hasn't missed a beat. Currently undefeated at 2-0 and ranked ninth in the country, the Buckeyes piled up 428 yards of total offense against Bowling Green over the weekend.

Tailback Michael Wiley had two touchdowns, the first coming on a 100 yard kickoff return. He finished the day with 72 yards rushing.

Leading the ground attack was senior Pepe Pearson, who piled up 83 yards. In his first year as a starter last season, Pearson ran for 1,484 yards and 17 touchdowns on 299 carries. They have found success using a rotating quarterback system, featuring Stanley Jackson and Joe Germaine. Last weekend, they combined for 16 of 23 for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

On defense, sophomore standout Andy Katzenmoyer continues to prove that his freshman year was not a fluke. Katzenmoyer led all tacklers against the Falcons, with seven, including two for losses. Last season, the All-Big Ten selection and Big-Ten Freshman of the Year, started all 12 games while leading the team in tackles for losses (23) and sacks (12).