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Football
Special Units Report
By John Porentas

The annual kick scrimmage was held in Ohio Stadium yesterday. Unlike some previous years, it was closed to the media. All we know about the outcome of the actual scrimmage is that the Gray won 20-14 and that the Aaron Pettry was the place kicker for the Gray. We also know that Pettry made at least one long field goal in the scrimmage.

"I was hitting from 60+ today during warmups. My leg felt real good. I hit a 56-yarder at the end of the scrimmage," Pettry said.

Pettry was OSU's place kicker his freshman season in 2006 but lost that job to Ryan Pretorious in 2007. Pettry also had some tough luck with injuries in 2007.

"I tore my groin muscle. I told them (the OSU Coaching Staff) about a week and half later," said Pettry.

"I really struggled last spring being hurt and struggled in camp. Then I came back real strong and had a good bowl practice and at the end of the season I felt real good. I've hit the ball real well this spring," Pettry said.

Pettry said all but four of his kicking attempts in the kick scrimmage were successful. Two were just plain misses, one was blocked and one was botched by a bad snap.

"I hate when we get one blocked. Today I got my first kick blocked when I hit a good ball I felt. We had a breakdown up the middle. I think our team thought it was thud (not full go) and the other team thought it was full-go, so it didn't work out too good," said Pettry.

Pettry's counterpart, Ryan Pretorious, had a good day kicking as well. Like Pettry, Pretorious had two misses but had none blocked.

"I actually had a 50-yarder to start off the game and there was a penalty on defense and they made me kick it over from closer. Then I missed," said Pretorious.

At the moment Pretorious is still OSU's field goal kicker while Pettry is the kickoff man, the same arrangement the Buckeyes had at the end of last season.

"This season I'm focusing on one thing, field goals," said Pretorious.

"I can get it into the endzone and stuff (on kickoffs), but I'm focusing on field goals."

Pettry is handling the kickoffs but is also working hard to reclaim his old spot as OSU's field goal kicker. He readily admits that the job still belongs to Pretorious. He also admits that unseating Pretorious would be difficult. Be that as it may, he is still in there fighting for that spot.

"I'd like to do both and I'd like to do both as soon as I can, not wait behind him," said Pettry.

"If I just get to kick off I'll be happy, but of course I'd like to do both.

"I'm definitely still in the running. Coach Tressel works it that it will be whoever performs well at fall camp. It's like 'What have you done for me lately?' kind of like it was last season before I got hurt. I feel like I'm in the running for it," Pettry said.

The Buckeyes have the luxury of two competent field goal kickers in Pettry and Pretorious. They also have a second kickoff man in A. J. Trapasso who displayed a big leg as a kickoff man in the National Championship Game last January.

Trapasso is also back as OSU's regular punter as is number one backup Jon Thoma. Trapasso said both he and Thoma did well in the kick scrimmage.

"I think my long was 68, but it was a 48 net because it was a touchback," said Trapasso.

"I'm not sure what Jon's long was. It was probably up near 60 with a pretty good roll that went out of bounds."

"Jon did very well today. He had some booming kicks."

Trapasso, a former high school running back, also executed a fake in the kick scrimmage. The play went for a first down.

Trapasso and Thoma also act as OSU's holders on PAT and field goal attempts. Thoma holds for Pretorious, Trapasso for Pettry. OSU's kickers, punters, and holders all return from last year's team. Where they will be looking for a replacement this season is at long snapper where Dimitrious Makridis performed last season but has now exhausted his eligibility.

The Buckeyes have two long snappers in camp this spring, Jake McQuaide and Pat Howe. At the moment, McQuaide is the odds-on favorite to win that spot.

"They're doing a great job," said Trapasso.

"Both of them especially in the short-snapping game are spot-on. They're getting to the point where they're controlling the ball really well, putting it right where you want it. I'm very pleased with their progress since last year," Trapasso said.

At the moment McQuaide is the snapper for both punts and place kicks. That could change this fall however.

"We'll have to see how things play out," said grad assistant Chad Rogosheske who works with the long snappers and kickers.

"This spring we have just two snappers. We will want to have more by next fall. We're evaluating that process right now trying to figure out just who that could be. Our goal is to have three guys by next fall.'

Rogosheske said he would not be at all adverse to having different players to make the long (punt) snap and the short (place kick) snap.

Later today - the-Ozone Feature on long snapper Jake McQuaide

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