ThisWeek Community Newspapers

By the time he finally steps onto the field Monday for the Bowl Championship Series national championship game in Glendale, Ariz., against second-ranked Florida, Ohio State junior fullback Dionte Johnson will have endured the longest wait of his career.

It will have been 51 days since the No. 1 Buckeyes last played, beating Michigan 42-39 on Nov. 18 to improve to 12-0.

Johnson, an Eastmoor Academy graduate, said he's been longing for collisions that make most fans cringe.

"It's the longest and the hardest wait of my career," Johnson said. "The hardest thing is keeping up the intensity. We've done a good job with that. We've been staying in shape and running, sweating really hard in the indoor (facility). Everybody is coming around and doing their part.

"Some people like to catch the ball and run and sprint. Some of us just like to hit. That's one thing I think I've gotten from my father. Some people go, 'Man, I don't know how you do it, you bang heads on every play.' It's just something some of us love to do."

Johnson gets that love of contact from his father, Thomas "Pepper" Johnson, who was a linebacker for the Buckeyes from 1982-85. The elder Johnson, who is sixth on Ohio State's career tackles list with 379 (190 solo, 189 assists), was the Buckeyes' captain and an all-American in 1985 and was a second-round draft pick of the New York Giants. Dionte's godfather is former running back Keith Byars, who is fourth on the school's all-time rushing list with 3,200 yards.

Dionte has had no carries this season. His job is to buy time for Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith and running back Antonio Pittman. Smith has completed 199 of 297 passes for 2,507 yards, and Pittman has rushed for 1,209 yards and 13 touchdowns.

"(Playing fullback) is an unsung job. The fans don't really know who you are," he said. "(Stan White Jr., another fullback whose father was a standout for Ohio State) and I took that role and have done a good job. I think we've come a long way."

He can't match their numbers, but Dionte Johnson has surpassed his more famous relatives in two important categories. He has earned more "Gold Pants," the honor given to Ohio State players after defeating Michigan, and has one more national championship game appearance than his father. Dionte has two sets of Gold Pants and his father has one, and the elder Johnson never played in a title game.

"The big thing he's been harping on is he never had the chance to play for a national championship," Johnson said. "He really wants us to go out there and do well. Dad was a part of the last outright Big Ten championship team in 1984. We are trying to move forward and take the next step. Dad's really tried to take a back seat and let me experience things for myself. But at the same time, he wouldn't let me do anything too wrong, either. He'll watch the games and coach me up a little bit, but he lets the coaches do their job for the most part."

Johnson is one of 14 players from central Ohio making an impact for Ohio State. Johnson, who has earned three letters for the Buckeyes, joins true freshman Chris Malone, an offensive lineman from Gahanna, as the only two Columbus-area players who have not been redshirted thus far in their career.

Johnson, fifth-year seniors Jay Richardson (defensive end from Dublin Coffman), Tim Schafer (offensive lineman from Upper Arlington) and Antonio Smith (defensive back from Beechcroft) and redshirt sophomore A.J. Trapasso (punter from Pickerington Central) have received playing time.

The others -- Malone, redshirt freshmen Evan Jablonka (punter from Pickerington Central), Will Crall (tight end from Bexley), Andrew Moses (offensive lineman from Watterson) and Dan Potokar (wide receiver from Grove City) and redshirt sophomores Alex Barrow (defensive end from Coffman), Matt Daniels (defensive back from New Albany), David Lisko (wide receiver from Hilliard Darby) and Kyle Ruhl (wide receiver from Coffman) -- are on the scout team.

Coach Jim Tressel said that although they didn't receive playing time, the group of fifth-year seniors played a key role in 2002, when Ohio State beat the University of Miami 31-24 in double overtime in the Fiesta Bowl to win the national championship.

"A big part of getting ready for the (Fiesta Bowl) was having a great preparation," Tressel said. "Part of that was what the starters demanded from their scout teams. A lot of these (fifth-year seniors) were on that year's scout teams. They were very much a part of the success we had that day."

"Everybody starts out on the scout team. It's difficult because you were good in high school," Johnson said. "You come here and it's kind of a humbling experience. But the attitude is you do what you have to do to make the team better. It's difficult, but at the same time, you are learning from it."

Smith is one of those success stories. He came out of Beechcroft as an invited walk-on for Ohio State and had to find his place in the defensive backfield behind such NFL draft picks as Donnie Nickey, Chris Gamble, Will Allen, Dustin Fox, Ashton Youboty, Donte Whitner and Nate Salley.

But Smith caught the eye of the coaching staff with his ability to mimic whatever the opposition was going to try as a member of the scout team. In 2003, he was named the Defensive Scout Player of the Week after a 17-10 loss to Wisconsin and a 35-6 win over Indiana.

This year, Smith has 38 solo tackles and 28 assists, behind only linebacker James Laurinaitis (43 tackles, 57 assists), and has two interceptions, including a 55-yard return for a touchdown in a 28-6 win over Penn State on Sept. 23.

"When I first walked on, I didn't expect much. I was just happy to be here," Smith said. "I was willing to do whatever I could do to help out the team get a victory. As a scout player, I tried to give the other side of the ball a good look as the opposing team of the week. As I grew up, my role grew."

How far a player progresses from the scout team often depends on what he is willing to do. According to Schafer, earning a starting spot means sacrificing body, ego and, sometimes, position.

Schafer joined the Buckeyes as a highly touted defensive end in the mold of former Upper Arlington teammate Simon Fraser. But when he got to Ohio State, he got lost in the shuffle of talented defensive ends. He was switched first to defensive tackle and then to the offensive line.

"You start at the bottom of the totem pole and you have to work your way up," Schafer said. "I'm sure a lot of athletes go through what I went through when they go from high school to college. They were the top person in the whole school and everybody idolizes them. And then they get here and they have to start all over again. It's kind of emotional for some of the guys but I think I fit right in."

To take over the punting job, Trapasso not only had to sacrifice his job as a running back, but a part of his senior year at Pickerington Central to get an early start.

Trapasso rushed for 3,754 yards and scored 50 touchdowns as a running back at Central. He averaged 8.6 yards per carry and was the team's MVP as a junior. In an effort to replace B.J. Sanders as punter, Trapasso graduated from high school early and enrolled at Ohio State, only to take a back seat to 2004 graduate Kyle Turano.

After taking over last year, Trapasso has an average of 41 yards per punt and has placed 15 punts inside the 20.

"It was tough because I had to leave my friends and go into a completely different environment," said Trapasso, who also played baseball for the Tigers. "I was with 50,000 students I didn't know. As far as I was concerned, when you get a phone call from Ohio State recruiting coordinator Bill Conley saying, 'If you want to be a Buckeye, enroll early,' it's really a no-brainer. I had the credits to do it and I decided it was the best decision for me."

Now that he has become a starter, Richardson wants to show the younger players just how far they can go. That continues to push him as Monday approaches.

"When you're a senior, you kind of feel a sense of urgency," said Richardson, who has 15 solo tackles and nine assists, including 8.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks. "You know young guys are watching what you're doing and they're trying to emulate you. You want to set a real good example. It kind of gives you a little bit of drive."

That drive has sustained Richardson through the waiting part of the last few weeks of his collegiate career. After 51 days of practicing, however, Richardson said he'll be tired of waiting.

"I'm ready to play the game, right now ... really," Richardson said. "I've been watching film of them for a couple of weeks now. I'm one of those guys who hates to sit around talking about what we're going to do and what's going to happen. I'd rather go do it. But that's how it is, especially around bowl time."