In two games, junior running back Jordan Hall went from suspension to one of the Buckeyes' game captains for Saturday against Michigan State.
View full sizeJordan Hall says he's a Buckeye with a much greater appreciation of what it means to be on the field. "You actually don't know what (sitting out is) like until you actually do it. So that's why I [said] I don't ever want to miss a game again."COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For two games, Jordan Hall watched. For two games, he played. For game five, he's a captain.
The Ohio State junior running back will serve as one of three game captains for Saturday's start to the Big Ten season against Michigan State. That comes after he sat out the first two games of the year as one of three Buckeyes suspended for violating NCAA rules by taking $200 at a February charity event outside Cleveland.
His status for such an important game gives some indication about how coach Luke Fickell may handle the eventual return of his four players -- Dan Herron, Mike Adams, DeVier Posey and Solomon Thomas -- who will Saturday serve the last of their five-game suspensions for more serious NCAA violations. Also serving as captains Saturday will be special teams regulars Nate Oliver, a fifth-year senior from St. Ed, and junior Nate Ebner, who has been a captain before.
"We understand we learn from our mistakes, but we're not going to throw guys away," Fickell said, speaking specifically of Hall's captaincy, though he could have been speaking generally about the last nine months at Ohio State. "That's kind of the reason we wanted to have the game captains the whole season, so we could make sure we could bring everybody to be part of this team no matter what their situation. They learn from it, grow from it, have the right attitude, they continue to get better.
"This team loves them. They'll always be able to be in a position they can get better. In some situations like this, hey, we're excited to have him. The past is the past and we learned from it."
For the Buckeyes' wins over Akron and Toledo, Hall was a fan on the couch, watching from his apartment with his roommate, safety Corey Brown, who was also suspended.
"You actually don't know what it's like until you actually do it," Hall said of watching his teammates play without him. "So that's why I [said] I don't ever want to miss a game again."
In the loss to Miami and win over Colorado, Hall combined for 171 rushing yards on 32 carries while also returning a kickoff 90 yards against the Buffaloes.
"Jordan is a dynamic player," Oliver said. "I'm glad he's on my team."
Typically, there's a little more to serving as a captain than just making plays. Fickell must feel Hall has shown that.
"He's a big leader in the locker room. He does a great job. He does everything we've asked him to handle with class and dignity. He has not batted an eye at it with all the situations," Fickell said.
"It's definitely an honor," added Hall. "It will be one of my greatest memories at Ohio State, definitely."
For Herron, Adams and Posey, it bodes well for what they may be asked to do later in the season.
Injury update: Answering his regular injury questions about starting receiver Corey "Philly" Brown and starting defensive end Nathan Williams, Fickell didn't have much to offer Tuesday.
"Don't know and don't know," Fickell said, guessing that he'd know more by Wednesday after seeing a few practices.
Williams believes he won't be ready this week, however, and is hoping he's recovered enough from his arthroscopic knee after week two to play Oct. 8 at Nebraska. Brown sprained his ankle in each of the first two games and has missed the last two. He was limping on the sidelines Saturday during the Colorado win, but was moving around much better than he was the week before.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2011/09/jordan_hall_rebounds_quickly_f.html
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