OSU loses Carter, but receiver depth fills in

The eighth-ranked Buckeyes (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) have enough weapons at the position to overcome last Saturday's loss of fifth-year senior and deep threat Drew Carter to a season-ending knee injury.

"We have tremendous talent," cornerback Dustin Fox said. "Our receiver depth is probably some of the best in the country.

"We have guys here you don't even see that could go out in a game, and you guys (the media) would be writing about them the next day. It's that good."

But is it good enough to leave OSU fans thinking "Drew who?"

Against Indiana it was. In last week's 35-6 rout of the Hoosiers, redshirt freshman Santonio Holmes caught six passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns and junior Bam Childress had four receptions for 41 yards. They entered the game with five catches between them.

All of their damage was done after Carter left the game midway through the second quarter with torn ligaments in his right knee.

But Indiana is, well, Indiana. The hapless Hoosiers are 10th in the Big Ten in pass defnese and last in total defense.

By contrast, three of OSU's last four regular-season opponents will present a much stiffer challenge. Penn State, which hosts the Buckeyes on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., is 0-4 in the Big Ten and 2-6 overall, but the Nittany Lions lead the nation in pass defense.

Michigan, is second nationally in pass defense and seventh in total defense. Purdue is second to Ohio State in Big Ten total defense and sixth nationally.

"It's a huge loss, losing Drew," quarterback Craig Krenzel said of Carter, who caught 12 passes for 260 yards (21.7 ypc) in his last 10 quarters of action.

"One of the most underrated things he did was his downfield blocking. He did as a good a job of that as anyone I've ever played with, so it's going to be hard to replace him.

"At the same time, Santonio showed on Saturday he can make some big plays. So it's going to be a big challenge for him, and I'm excited to see him develop over the next four games."

Junior cornerback Chris Gamble and 6-3, 228-pound redshirt freshman Roy Hall are other intriguing options for OSU at wideout opposite split end Michael Jenkins, especially if Holmes and Childress don't exhibit a better grip -- Holmes on the football and Childress on his emotions.

Holmes, who got stripped at the goal line on what would have been a 37-yard TD catch against IU, has fumbled five times dating back to the spring game.

"Handling the ball is going to be the key," Holmes admitted. "A turnover can cost us at any time in a game and be a turning point. I have to protect the ball a little tougher, not relax after I catch the ball.

"The opportunity is there for me now, so I have to take my game to another level. That means I have to make big plays without a mistake."

Childress has also been fumble-prone, but it was showboating that led to a sideline lecture from coach Jim Tressel on the sideline at Indiana.

"We talked about it," said Childress, Ohio's Mr. Football as a senior at Bedford Chanel High School. "I'm not focused on that anymore. He told me to go back to the huddle and focus on the next play."

Childress caught two passes on a touchdown drive right before halftime at Indiana, including a 15-yard grab on fourth-and-one to the IU 25.

"Drew was going to be a big-time receiver, sooner or later, and now `Tone' and I have to step up and take that role," Childress said. "It's not really like pressure. It's really more of a challenge."

Originally published Thursday, October 30, 2003