Yardbarker: Ryan Pretorius

Bucknuts TV: Pretorius Reflects On His Long Journey

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:13:51 -0500

OSU kicker Ryan Pretorius, a native of South Africa, talks about his journey from being a rugby player to being a kicker for the Buckeyes.

Live Blogging: OSU vs. scUM

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:53:00 -0500

1st QTR 1 2 3 4 - T 0 - 0 7 - 7 SCORING SUMMARY OSU - 1st QTR Beanie Wells 59-yard TD run (Ryan Pretorius PAT)

Ohio State preview

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:54:53 -0500

The results of this week's blogpoll can be found at the following link. This is important, as Purdue faces the #14 team in that poll this week in Columbus. Ohio State has been ranked in all polls of any kind all season long. There is a decent chance that this will be our final chance this season to end the long string of losses to ranked teams, though Michigan State could be another final chance later on. If history prevails, that streak will grow even longer because Columbus has not been kind to us.

It is no secret that Purdue has just one win at Ohio State and Michigan combined since Bob Griese was quarterback in 1966. That win came in 1988 as the Spoilermakers made an appearance and shocked Ohio State in the 'shoe 31-26. They really shouldn't be considered Spoilermakers, however, as Ohio State finished that year 4-6-1and lost 41-7 to Indiana.

We have come closer historically in Columbus than we have in Ann Arbor in the last 42 years. I was there during our last visit in 2003. That was an agonizingly close 16-13 loss in overtime that could have sent us on our way with an at large BCS berth that season. In my opinion, that team was Tiller's best. Three of its four losses came by 11 total points, two of them in overtime. It marked our last appearance in a New Year's Day bowl as well.

I don't expect Saturday's game to be as close. Our offense was better last year against a less experienced Ohio State defense and the Buckeyes pitched a shutout for 59 minutes in a nationally televised sellout at Ross-Ade. This year we are struggling even more offensively. Ohio State may still be figuring out things on their own offense, but their defense will likely stop us quite easily.

Ohio State offense:

Statistically the Buckeyes are more run oriented, but they aren't exactly Navy when it comes to that preference. Their overall yardage gained is about 55-45 in favor of the run. These numbers also reflect a couple of games without a Heisman-worthy running back and a quarterback change to a more run-oriented player. Ohio State averages about 186 yards on the ground per game. It is probably a similar type of rushing attack that Penn State ran against us only Chris Wells is better than Evan Royster and Terelle Pryor is a better runner than Daryll Clark.

Wells is clearly the catalyst that makes things go, though Pryor has made them much more formidable in recent weeks. Wells has played in just three games so far, leaving one with an injury. He has racked up 385 yards and two scores in that time. Pryor has played in all six games and has 312 yards and four TD's on the ground. 168 of Wells' yards came a week ago at Wisconsin, but it was Pryor that made the game's biggest running play with an unbelievable cut and burst for the winning touchdown. Any time you can use Wells as a decoy and the guy actually carrying the ball is just as good you have a great backfield.

Dan Herron is also a bit of a factor in the running game with 262 yards and a score. Maurice Wells and Brandon Saine can also provide a carry or two in spot duty. The main thrust of the ground game will come from Wells and Pryor though. Sadly, I don't know if we have the personnel or the discipline to make one of them commit on option runs. Fortunately, Chris Wells hasn't been as big of a threat catching the ball since we're still vulnerable to the screen pass.

Speaking of the passing game, Ohio State's isn't very productive at just 151 yards per game. This was one area where we actually had some success a season ago. After two early touchdowns on we were able to pick off Todd Boeckman three times. Boeckman is on the bench now after throwing for 446 yards in five games with only three scores against a pair of interceptions. In is Pryor, who has 440 yards passing and five scores in six games. Ohio State doesn't throw a lot, so if we can slow down the running game and make them throw we might have a chance. The Buckeyes throw an average of 24.5 times per game, completing 64% of those passes.

On the receiving end Ohio State has good, but not stellar receivers. Brian Robiskie (22-213-4) is the most important target. Ray Small (16-122-0) was the one who did the most damage to us a year ago with six catches for 70 yards and a score. Brian Hartline (13-226-2) and Dane Sanzenbacher (10-105-0) are the only others with significant numbers. Our biggest concern is containing this group when Ohio State has to throw. If we cannot make them throw by slowing down the running game they won't have many receptions anyway. Ohio State had just 144 yards passing a week ago with a long of just 27. They have yet to complete a pass of more than 50 yards, so we're not looking at a team that loves to throw the deep ball.

Another key element to any success we have will be the development of a pass rush. Ohio State's protection hasn't been the greatest all season. They have given up 16 sacks through six games, but Pryor's scrambling ability allows him to escape some sacks other quarterbacks cannot. We simply must get a pass rush and get Pryor down once we get to him to have any chance. Ohio State has had an astounding 39 plays go for negative yardage as well. That's 6.5 per game and we have to get at least that many on Saturday.

Ohio State's defense:

They call it Tressell-ball, and this year's Ohio State team is much like its predecessors. The offensive numbers aren't eye-popping, but the defense makes sure it doesn't need to be. Last season I felt even with a poor defense we had a chance if we held them below 25 points. We did that, but had no chance because the Buckeye defense smothered us all night long. When you take away USC's 35 point outburst the Buckeyes give up a miserly 12.4 points per game. They also like to take the ball away with 14 forced turnovers on the year. Even if our defense does play well and holds them in the 20-25 point range we have to move the ball and get points when we have the chance to.

It all starts in the middle with All-American James Laurinaitis. He is on his way to making a lot of money in the NFL at this time next year. He is a linebacker that we can only dream of in that he plays the run and the pass well. He has 57 tackles on the season to go with a sack and an interception. He seems to be in on almost every play, so it is not like we can just run away from him.

Still, it's not like Ohio State is completely shutting teams down. They are giving up more than 100 yards rushing per game. Statistically that is worse than Penn State from last week, so Kory Sheets may find a little more room to run. We have to commit to it though, as the Ohio State pass defense is very good at just 155 yards per game given up. They also have nine interceptions as a team. This means Curtis Painter cannot afford to sail too many passes.

Kurt Coleman and Malcolm Jenkins each have two of those interceptions. Jenkins leads the team in pass break ups with four. We also need to watch out for Chimdi Chekwa, a nickel back who seemingly had 4662 tackles in the game against us last year. All told this is a team-oriented defense. The numbers, outside of what Laurinaitis has put up, are actually fairly balanced across the board.

When it comes to getting into the backfield Ohio State isn't great. They have just nine sacks on the season. Marcus Freeman leads the team in this category with three. The defensive end is also third on the team in tackles with 36 stops and a pair of pass breakups.

Ohio State Special teams:

Another major aspect of Tressell-ball is that his teams get points wherever they can get them. Special teams play a major role in this, and that is no different this year. Ryan Pretorius is a solid kicker, having made 11 of 14 attempts so far. He has a long of 50, while Aaron Pettrey made his only attempt of the season from 54 yards out. This means that the Buckeyes are a threat to score any time they get inside our 40 yard line.

A.J. Trapasso helps the defense out by being of the best punters in the country. He carries a 44.9 yard average per punt and drops the ball inside the 20 more than 20% of the time. His hang time is excellent as well. Only 9 of his 25 punts have had returns for an average of only 4.6 yards. Basically we can forget about returning punts all day, but we have to watch Ohio State. Small is a dangerous punt returner at 16.3 yards per return. He has already taken one back too.

On kickoffs Trapasso and Pettrey are very good at getting touchbacks. Both Ohio State and its opponents are averaging 18.7 yards per return with no touchdowns. Since Ohio State doesn't give up many points they haven't had many chances to return kicks. Brandon Saine is the main returner with an 18.4 yard average.

Final Thoughts:

Coming into the season I didn't think we had a chance in hell of winning this game. Even after five games I have changed my tune a little. I feel like we have a better chance against Ohio State than we did against Penn State, but it still isn't a great one. Against the Nittany Lions we played a nearly perfect game for the first 20 minutes. A pair of second quarter missed field goals killed our momentum, leading to a loss. Perhaps a bigger play was the fumbled snap by Painter on third down. Had we scored a touchdown on that drive the entire mojo of the game would have changed. Again, the ability is there, but we still have to put it all together.

For some reason, Tiller's teams have always played Ohio State the toughest of the big three (Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan). We've grabbed a pair of wins from them. We very nearly derailed their national championship season. We've even been within a field goal twice (1999 and 2003) of escaping Columbus with a win. Last week we lost because of our own mistakes. We left at least 7 points on the field and a ton of momentum. If we can limit those mistakes this week we may actually have a chance.

Again, we must at least slow down the running game. If Pryor and Wells are allowed to run wild early we have no chance. If we can force Pryor to throw, that will be playing to the weakness of the Ohio State offense and the strength of our own defense. It has been a long while since we have forced a team to do what we want them to do. Usually it is the other way around, and Ohio State is very good at doing that.

Of course, holding them in the 20's means very little if our offense takes 50 minutes to score again. Carson Wiggs is most likely going to get his chance as the placekicker this week. He needs to come through when we're close, and he has the leg to give us points inside the 35. Chris Summers is a good, smart kid. In reading interviews with him about last week it is clear that no one is more upset than him over his performance. He still has enough talent to be very successful if it is punting, placekicking, or both. Like Travis Dorsch in 2000 though, I think pulling double duty has caused one area to suffer. Should he get a shot at redemption this week I hope he comes through.

We can solve the field goal anxiety if we start getting touchdowns again. Last week we were patient and moved the ball on time-comsuming, sustained drives for the first time in ages. We have to do the same. Do not discount Kory Sheet's 59 yards last week. He earned every one of them. Purdue teams of old would have abandoned the running game long before he got to 20 yards in similar circumstances. That showed me that, however slowly, we're actually learning some.

It's also becoming very old, but Curtis Painter must start playing like we know he can play. Compared to his previous numbers, he has flat-out sucked this year. Ohio State isn't the best team for him to break out against, but he must be patient, look for other receivers and not turn the ball over. Not looking for receivers cost us the Oregon game when Kory Sheets was wide open and could have walked in during the first overtime. Elliott even showed his elusiveness and ability to read the defense better on his one drive last week. His head actually moved through progressions. We need Painter to do this, but I fear it is too late.

The sad thing is that at this point, it is little things that could be easily fixed or shouldn't even be issues in the first place that separate us from our opponents. We knew Central Michigan and Notre Dame were weak running teams, but they ran wild. We knew Central Michigan had a bad pass defense and Notre Dame had a bad run defense, but we struggled against both. We have to attack Ohio State's weaknesses this week, even if they aren't glaring ones. Those weaknesses are the passing game on both sides of the ball while at least containing or moving the ball on the ground as appropriate. Of course, we're the worst rushing team statistically in the Big Ten both offensively and defensively. it won't be easy.

Their offense isn't nearly as scary or balanced as Oregon or Penn State, and we actually did alright in those games. Strangely, I think we have an excellent shot to win Saturday. It is only recent history and knowing who we are that prevents me from really believing it.

Most Buckeyes Want 7 Instead of 3

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:36:10 -0500

Ohio State had some trouble scoring against the Youngstown Penguins as they went for five field goals on Saturday and fumbled inside the 5 yard line instead of putting the ball into the end zone. The kick team didn't seem to mind as Ryan Pretorius kicked a 50 yard field goal and Aaron Pettrey kicked a record 54-yarder.

Know thy Team 2008: Specialists

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:43:18 -0500

The first blogpoll of the season is up. Purdue is not ranked in the top 25, which isn't a surprise. Some bloggers were kind enough to throw us a few votes, however. I have the feeling that if we start 2-0 with a win over a ranked Oregon team we can crack the top 25 easily. My final official ballot can be found here. During the season I'll be posting my ballots on Sunday night for discussion, and they are due to be finalized by Wednesday morning for the next poll. Feel free discuss/praise/rip me for my choices as the season goes on. Special thanks go out to Brian of MGoBlog for running this with statistics I have long forgotten since my freshman year statistics class at Purdue.

As far as analysis, there are plenty of chances for Purdue to make noise in this poll. #2 Ohio State, #18 Oregon, and #21 Penn State are all on the schedule. Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Notre Dame, Iowa, and Northwestern were all good enough to at least receive votes in the poll as well. There will be no complaints about an easy non-conference slate this year. Not much else can be done until we go out and play the games now.

Special Teams preview

The know thy Team series didn't go as well as I had hoped, but it mercifully comes to an end today. During the 2001 season it seemed like Travis Dorsch did everything. He handled punts, kicks, and kickoffs. As poor as our offense was, that meant he was on the field a lot. His clutch 50-yarder in the "Miracle in the Metrodome" game has to be the toughest Purdue kick ever. I think it benefited a kicker like Travis because he didn't have time to think about it. As a result, Dorsch finished third in the voting for the Lou Groza award and won the Ray Guy award as the nation's best punter.

Fortunately, our offense should be much better in 2008, meaning we won't have to rely on Chris Summers as much. He is expected to handle both the placekicking and punting duties, but a couple of freshmen should challenge him in both areas. We may end up using someone else for kickoff duties as well, just to give Summers a break.

Placekicker:
Chris Summers, Jr.

When it was announced that incoming freshman Carson Wiggs had agreed to come to Purdue after graduating high school in 2008 many fans thought Purdue would simply hang on with Summers doing the placekicking again. As a freshman in 2006 Summers was just 8 for 20 on field goals. He didn't hit one after the Wisconsin game, and missed the final 8 kicks he attempted. It got so bad that fifth year senior Casey Welch came on to hit an 18 yard game-winner at Michigan State in the only field goal attempt of his career. Summers was roundly booed, and many people dreaded seeing him come on for even extra points. It was a worse season than Berin "The Serbian Shank Machine" Lacevic had in 2002.

With no one to really replace him the job was pretty much his by default in 2007. Tim Daugherty didn't seize the opportunity before him in camp and later transferred. Summers made the most of his second chance by working hard with kicking guru Doug Blevens in the offseason. Blevens coached some guy named Adam Vinatieri, who has had a decent career in the NFL. In the season opener at Toledo Summers' first attempt was just barely wide, but the second one of the game was true. A huge cheer went up from the Purdue section, and the pressure was lifted. After that opening miss Summers hit 18 of 21 attempts, with one of those missed kicks being blocked at Minnesota. He had a four field goal day with a career long at Penn State, hit four against Notre Dame in a game where we needed him to convert points, and hit three in the Motor City Bowl. His final kick of the season was a 40-yarder that gave Purdue its first bowl win since 2002.

Now a junior, Summers looks like he may be one of the better kickers in a conference full of pretty good ones. Austin Starr at Indiana, Dan Kelly at Penn State, and Ryan Pretorius at Ohio State could all lay claim as finalists for this year's Groza award. With another season like he had in 2007, Summers could be right there with them.

Punter:
Chris Summers, Jr.

It's not a typo here. Summers is also expected to take over the punting duties for the departed Jared Armstrong. This was long suspected as he has been apprenticing Jared the past two seasons in practice and has carried the honorable title of backup punter since. Summers punted in high school at Hamilton Southeastern and was one of the best in the state of Indiana at the time. Two years and a change in levels later he is expected to handle double duty again. Coaches like his leg strength, so it is possible we could have a repeat of Dorsch's final two seasons. In 2000 Dorsch was the deep punter while Scott Kurz was more of the pooch punter (though Kurz took over full time punting later in the year). Armstrong and Welch played those roles in 2006. We could see a reprisal of this with any of the incoming freshmen.

Cory Kemps and Carson Wiggs are candidates to start here as well, but Summers has the clear edge being the upperclassman. Placekicking is still his priority, but if he can punt that will make him even more valuable. It couldn't happen to a nicer kid either. The blueprint for success is there from Dorsch's final two years.

The future:
Cory Kemps, Fr.
Carson Wiggs, Fr.

Both of these kids are versatile players that can both kick or punt. If Summers can nail both jobs this year I expect both to redshirt, then use 2009 to prepare for when both spots are open in 2010. If that happens, Purdue is likely set at both kicking positions through the 2012 season when Eastern Kentucky will travel to Purdue in the revenge game for stealing coach Hope. Asking Summers to place kick, punt, and kickoff may be a bit much. Either Wiggs or Kemps could see action if only on the kickoff team.

Wiggs may have a slight edge as the recruited player as opposed to the preferred walk-on status that Kemps has. Kemps did have three clutch field goals in last season's class 5A state championship game for Carmel, a 16-7 win for the Greyhounds. Previously he only had a single made field goal in 14 games. Wiggs averaged 47 yards per punt as a junior in 2006. He has a big leg on kickoffs and was one of the most highly recruited specialists in the nation because he can kickoff, punt, and placekick.

Summers has been outstanding on kickoffs in his career. He has a good leg, but has often been asked to kick to a spot around the 20 in order to limit a big return. He has been very successful in this, as the Boilers have had one of the best kickoff coverage units in the country the past two seasons. Last season we gave up 16.9 yards per kick return, ranking second in the country. We finished 4th in 2006. As much as the defense has struggled, keeping opponents at the far end of the field is necessary.

Wiggs had to be disappointed that Summers came on strong last season to cement what looked to be an open job, but he still should get plenty of opportunities in the future. Kemps sadly won't be coming with teammate Jordan Brewer just yet. He's probably third on the list right now, but you can't make an accurate assessment until training camp is over.

Kickoff Returns:
Desmond Tardy, Sr. (5)
Kory Sheets, Sr. (5)

1,007 yards, 28 per return on 36 attempts, and two touchdowns. That is what Purdue lost with Dorien Bryant departing as a kick returner. It is a shame that Bryant has been unable to land a spot in an NFL training camp as a returner because once he did touch the ball on a return there was a chance for six. He had three kickoff returns for scores in his career, more than anyone in recent Purdue history. I don't know if Purdue as a team had three other kickoff returns for touchdowns under Tiller (I know Jerome Brooks at Notre Dame in 2004 and Desmond Tardy at Minnesota last year, but that's it).

Tardy is the leading candidate here, and he is more than serviceable as a replacement. Minnesota kicked away from Bryant to start last season's game and Tardy simply fielded his first kickoff ever (at any level) and took it 95 yards untouched for a touchdown. He only fielded 8 kicks, but Tardy had a slightly higher average than Bryant. Sheets has experience from two years ago, which will be handy. Jaycen Taylor appeared to be ahead of him for the other spot until his injury this week. I'm perfectly comfortable with Tardy and Sheets back there.

Punt returns:
Desmond Tardy, Sr. (5)
Royce Adams, Jr.

Purdue has had a number of good punt return specialists like Vinny Sutherland and Anthony Chambers, but since Chambers left this has been an area where we have been lacking. Bryant and Tardy shared duties last year. Bryant had 15 returns for a 6.2 average while Tardy carried a 20.5 average on a pair of returns. That's a good sign. If Tardy can return some electricity to the punt return game then it will be another weapon we can use. The defense must consistently get stops so this weapon can be used, however.

Other Specialists:
Holder: Curtis Painter, Sr. (5)
Long Snapper: Andy Huffman, Jr.

I was recently watching the tape of the 1998 Alamo Bowl and I was thankful that snapping issues have been an afterthought for a long time. Anyone who remembers that game may have conveniently forgotten that punts were and adventure then. Huffman has handled duties just fine since 2006. If you look at his Rivals profile you can see a link back to a 2006 article wishing for his anonymity. He has it, and that's a good thing.

There have been some rumblings about a potential new holder this season after Jared Armstrong's graduation. Painter had the duty two years ago and appeared set for a return this year. The new situation may not be working out though, so it should be Painter's job for the time being. Any time he is on the field gives him another opportunity to throw, so on a broken play or designed fake it is important to keep in mind that the starting quarterback is right there. Then again, when Dorsch threw for a TD off of a blocked punt at Central Florida in 1999 things were just fine.

See, Someone Wants to Play Ball in Ohio…

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:34:03 -0500

Jim Tressel's 2009 recruiting class is just about complete. About 7 months ahead of schedule. Ohio State has early verbal commitments from 23 players. You can find the list here, or here, or even here. We certainly aren't breaking this news. The limit for any one season is 25 by the way. Which means that Ohio State can only offer 2 more scholarships between now and the February signing day. Sure, there is a chance that they could lose a few of these athletes before then. In fact ...