COLUMBUS -- Although he hasn't had the kind of season anybody envisions for Ohio State's starting tailback, Lydell Ross doesn't think he deserves a lump of coal in his Christmas stocking.
Yes, the senior co-captain admits he made a bad impression by being in a strip club hours after an embarrassing 33-7 loss at Iowa on Oct.16. He also feels he paid dearly for it in the form of a two-game suspension and the loss of his first-team status.
Accused of passing bogus in-house currency at the club, Ross was eventually cleared of the allegation and reinstated to the team.
"I was waiting for the truth to come out and let people know I didn't do anything wrong," Ross said. "I'm not a bad person. I made a wrong decision to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I shouldn't have been there in the first place, especially after a loss. It's hard, especially in a town like this, to come back from that. I didn't let it affect me mentally. You have to phase it out. It was hard that in a town like Columbus, where they wear their football on their sleeve."
Off the field, the likeable, low-keyed Ross has been a godsend compared to enigmatic Maurice Clarett. On the field, fans were hoping Ross would look more like the hole-hitting, tackle-busting Clarett.
It didn't happen.
Ross began the season with 1,864 yards rushing and appeared to have a shot at becoming only the sixth back in school history to finish with more than 3,000 career yards, especially when he gained 145 in the opener against Cincinnati and 90 more the next week against Marshall.
Since then, Ross has gained 145 yards and is second on the team to freshman Antonio Pittman in rushing, 378 to 376. Pittman has gained two more yards on 35 fewer carries.
When he has played, Ross has had trouble hanging onto the ball.
"This season was up and down from a football standpoint and up and down from a personal standpoint," coach Jim Tressel said of Ross. "Emotionally, as a senior, you want to have a storybook year, lead your team and move your career to the next step. You have to fight through those things. I think he's looked straight on when he's done that and he has one more shot at it."
Whether Ross will get one last shot against Oklahoma State in the Dec. 29 Alamo Bowl remains to be seen. He has fallen behind senior starter Maurice Hall and Pittman on the depth chart, and it was senior fullback Branden Joe who carried most of the load in the 37-21 win over Michigan in the regular-season finale.
"Adversity, especially late in the season, kind of threw me off a little bit there in how I wanted to finish the season," said Ross, whose strip club dalliance made him the butt of jokes.
"Toward the end of the season, I made a wrong decision off the field, and that played a big role in my playing time and how I'm able to finish the season.l"
An NFL career now seems like a pipe dream for the highly-recruited back from Tampa. As things stand, Pittman or Ross will finish with the least yardage by OSU's leading rusher since Bob Ferguson (371) in 1959. Matt Snell finished with 491 in 1963 and Bo Rein with 456 in 1966.
"I wouldn't say there is a sense of urgency," Ross said about making a positive final impression on scouts and fans. "Any running back can show what he's about in one game, one play, one minute. It doesn't matter. Whatever opportunities I get in this game, I'm going to make the most out of them."
Joe has stood in Ross' shoes. Three years ago he was suspended after being charged with drunken driving when he was found asleep in his car on the shoulder of a highway. Last April, he was issued an open container citation, which many believe might have cost him a chance to be a team captain.
"Lydell's had a tough year," Joe said. "I've gone through the same adversity in my career. As long as you learn from your mistakes, it's going to make you stronger. You try to do something positive for your community and university to get that behind you as soon as possible."
Originally published Saturday, December 25, 2004
