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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saine off to slow start
Sophomore running back Brandon Saine has had a diminishing role in Ohio State’s rushing attack this season, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
The former Ohio Mr. Football from Piqua was limited in preseason practice because of a hamstring injury, and he hasn’t been able to make progress on the depth chart since his return.
Redshirt freshman Daniel “Boom” Herron has clearly become the No. 2 tailback behind Beanie Wells and has shown more burst and shiftiness than Saine has displayed.
Saine rushed just three times for 11 yards against Minnesota on Saturday and returned three kickoffs for 59 yards.
“Brandon was on the sideline for 20-some practices, and it’s hard at that position if you don’t get your rhythm and get rolling and get opportunities and so forth,” OSU coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday.
“I thought Brandon did a good job bringing kicks back on Saturday. He got in a little bit on the offensive side. We continue to talk about how we can utilize him, but right now with all of a sudden Beanie getting back, and Boom, I think, doing very well, the tailback reps become even more rare.”
While the opportunities for Saine may be shrinking, another area product could be taking on a bigger role this week.
Tight end Jake Ballard, a junior from Springboro, will likely see increased playing time against Wisconsin on Saturday with starter Rory Nicol out with a sprained ankle.
Ballard had 13 catches last season and two so far this year.
