The Front Row

More info, etc. from Ohio State:

The Ohio State Buckeyes practiced for about two hours Wednesday in full pads and in near-perfect, 75-degree temperatures at the Harmon Family Football Park. The practice was another in the winner/loser series that has gone on all spring. For the second consecutive competition, the efforts of the offense vs. the defense ended in a tie and the defense continues to hold a lead with a 3-1-2 ledger. Saturday’s winner/loser battle also ended in a tie on the day the students were invited to practice.

ESPN was on hand Wednesday. Writers and reporters from its broadcast and print teams were in Columbus, continuing a spring-tour that will take “the bus” to Ann Arbor tonight for a Thursday visit at Michigan and to South Bend Thursday night for a Friday appointment at the University of Notre Dame. The tour visited Penn State and West Virginia on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, of this week.

Limited Wednesday
Linebackers Storm Klein and Curtis Grant (stinger), and safeties C.J. Barnett (upper leg) and Christian Bryant (upper leg) were limited in their activities today. … Not on the field because of illness was linebacker Ryan Shazier and quarterback Cardale Jones.

6 a.m. draft
Defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, coach of the gray team, and offensive coordinator Tom Herman, coach of the scarlet team, will lead the coaches through a 6 a.m. draft Thursday morning to build the teams for the 2012 LiFE Sports Spring Game, set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

Lots of passing
Coach Urban Meyer met with close to 50 members of the local media after practice today. He said the quarterbacks would be protected during the scrimmage Saturday and wouldn’t do much running. But the good news is there promises to be lots of passing.

“I want to see guys make plays,” Meyer said.

Community service project
Meyer said the spring game would also have a winner/loser element to it with the losing team spending three hours the following Friday on a community service project. He indicated it may be working on Buckeye Grove, the area adjacent to Ohio Stadium where a Buckeye tree is planted in honor of each of Ohio State’s All-Americans.

More notes, quotes and good stuff…
Today was practice No. 13 (of 15) on the spring schedule. … As of Wednesday more than 46,000 tickets had been sold for the spring game. … Meyer: “I hope we fill it. Wouldn’t that be fun?” … The game will have four 10 minute quarters with the clock stopping the first two quarters and a running clock in the third and fourth quarter. … The intent Saturday for the coaches is to watch the players “perform in a game day atmosphere,” according to Meyer. … “I’ve been fortunate to coach in some of these big spring game atmospheres and there’s nothing like it….it’s priceless. You can’t simulate this atmosphere in any indoor [venue] or out on the practice field.” … Meyer was talking about what an awesome day the student practice was on Saturday and he said he will hold a similar practice every year in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “And next year we’re going to let one of the students kick a field goal.”