Ryan Shazier Emerging

Glorious

This season has been a rollercoaster ride from the beginning. It was apparent OSU wasn't really going to contend this year but I, along with many of you, tried to convince myself that this team had a chance to contend. After all this was Ohio St. and we still had the athletic cream of the crop in the big ten.

Unfortunately, many of those top athletes were suspended for more than half the season and our starting quarterback bolted for the NFL to hold a clipboard. It was OK I told myself. We had one of the top-rated quarterbacks coming in to replace him and a slew of young talent itching to see the field and become the next set of stars in Columbus.

The defense always played with a chip on its' shoulder and the running backs went almost 5 deep heading into the Akron game. It all sounded great in my head and looked even better on paper. Unfortunately that’s not how things have played out this year. This team has been extremely tough to watch at times. Beginning the year with Akron served as a temporary cloak as to what OSU really was. Things went downhill in a hurry after that opening game and culminated with the disaster in South Beach.

My 2011 Standout: A Prediction

Still hurts

Ohio State has a tradition of having great tight ends, tight ends who sometimes don't get the credit or catches they deserve to see...Ben Hartsock, Ryan Hamby, John Frank, Fred Pagac, Sr., and Jake Ballard. Yes, we all remember Hamby's drops in the lost to Texas in Columbus, but he still came through in other moments we needed him.

The player I see having the most potential as a big impact player this season is Tight End Jake Stoneburner. After having a break out year from 2009 (2 receptions, 30 yards) with 21 receptions for 222 yards a year ago and 3 receptions for 39 yards in the Sugar Bowl, the fire has been stoked. Add in a 5 game suspension for your leading wide-receiver and the loss of Dane Sanzenbacher, and you have a situation that might just come unglued.