Brewster's self-assuredness and consistency in the middle of the line, and his faith in the four linemen joining him, will be tested against Miami's quick and dangerous defensive line on Saturday.
View full sizeOhio State center Mike Brewster graded well with his line calls last week against Marshall.COLUMBUS, Ohio — On Brandon Saine's 45-yard touchdown run against Marshall last Thursday, every Ohio State offensive lineman finished his block perfectly, except for left guard Justin Boren, who pulled and led Saine through the hole, but found no one left to hit.
"They had a run blitz, and Mike made a good call to pick up everything," Boren said. "It was wide open, and I just saw Brandon take off."
Mike made a good call. That's Ohio State junior center Mike Brewster, and he made a lot of good calls. In fact, after playing about 45 snaps in the Buckeyes' opener, Brewster said line coach Jim Bollman disagreed with only one decision he made on blocking assignments, a duty that falls to the OSU center, and even Brewster realized that mistake as soon as it happened.
"It feels good to be confident," Brewster said Tuesday, "because when you're confident, you play 100 times faster."
For the first time in his career, Brewster was graded with a "winning performance" by his coaches, who examine every detail in their postgame evaluations. It's not a level that's easy to reach -- quarterback Terrelle Pryor is still searching for the first "winning performance" of his career. It's Brewster's self-assuredness and consistency in the middle of the line, and his faith in the four linemen joining him, that will be tested against Miami's quick and dangerous defensive line on Saturday when the No. 2 Buckeyes host No. 12 Miami.
View full sizeMike Brewster's self-assuredness and his faith in the four linemen joining him will be tested against No. 12 Miami on Saturday. "The D-line is huge. They're the strength of our defense," Miami cornerback Brandon Harris told reporters in Florida on Tuesday. "We need them to put a lot of pressure on Pryor, but also keep that running game slowed down. We want to control the running game, and hopefully the D-line gets to chow a little bit. We have to stop the run. We have to stop the run."
The Hurricanes also sacked the quarterback eight times in a 45-0 win over an overmatched Florida A&M team Thursday. While Miami believes it has turned a weakness a year ago into a strength this season with the defensive line, the Buckeyes' offensive line seems to be avoiding what have been regular early-season struggles. It's a line filled with elite recruits, and now they know what they're doing.
"I don't think we were ever not confident, but I think we were unsure," Brewster said of seasons past. "And when you're unsure of what you're doing, you're not going to do it as fast. I think that's what really showed against Marshall. I know Marshall is not Miami, but we still executed well, and we were very sure of what we were doing."
Heads on straight, the Buckeyes can get down to the physical matchups, with the most difficult assignments falling to tackles Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts in dealing with Miami defensive ends Allen Bailey and Olivier Vernon.
"Their [defensive line is] super athletic and super quick," OSU tight end Jake Stoneburner said. "They've got a lot of talent and depth, but it's nothing we haven't gone against in practice. So it'll be a good test, but I think we'll be well-prepared."
Inside, Brewster will be dealing with defensive tackle Marcus Forston, a player Brewster got to know as the U.S. Army All-American Game when both were high school seniors.
"Those guys, they're technicians," Forston said of the Buckeyes. "They're well-coached. Those guys don't give any reads away. They're a good offensive line.
"We have guys that are athletic, guys that are powerful, guys that are just nasty and go out there and do whatever they have to do to intimidate the offensive line, the running backs or the quarterback. . . . We have to make a new line of scrimmage in the backfield."
Brewster has to keep the Ohio State offensive line together as one, starting with himself. Now in his third year as a starter, he has no doubts that will happen. He said a first-year center wouldn't have read that blitz on the Saine touchdown Thursday. A second-year center maybe would have recognized with a lot of studying. But now?
"I know my stuff," Brewster said. "I know it like the back of my hand, so it doesn't worry me at all. I'm never unsure, because those guys trust me, and I know everything about this offense."
Buckeye bits: OSU coach Jim Tressel said he expects starting defensive end Nathan Williams, who missed last week's game against Marshall, to be back Saturday, though his snaps may be limited. . . . Freshman running back Rod Smith, still a likely redshirt, joined the team for practice Sunday, his arrival at Ohio State previously delayed as the NCAA Clearinghouse cleared his high school transcript. . . . Tressel said junior linebacker Etienne Sabino, who lost the camp competition for a starting spot to Andrew Sweat, is expected to redshirt, though he is not injured or facing any off-field issues. Sabino is also blocked by seniors Brian Rolle and Ross Homan, and the year off would give him two years of eligibility after they graduate.