Colorado University Athletics
Brooks: CU Trio Eyes Ohio Homecoming (And A Win)
September 20, 2011 | Football, B.G. Brooks
Doug Rippy, Rodney Stewart and Ayodeji Olatoye will be weekend strangers in their home state, treatment they expect in "The Shoe" from Ohio State fans anxious to see their embattled team rebound from an off-season of upheaval and a crushing defeat (24-6) last weekend at Miami (Fla.).
The good news for Ohio State fans at a time when news of that variety has been scarce is this: The Buckeyes don't lose often in their 102,329-seat home; they're 54-5 since the start of the 2002 season. On the flip side, the Buffaloes are looking for their first win away from Boulder since 2007, a road losing streak that stands at 19 (counting a postseason loss).
"We just have to go out and do what we do - take care of our responsibilities," said Rippy, a junior linebacker. "We can't worry about what's going on with them . . . they have an advantage because they're playing at home, but at the same time, we've got to end this losing road streak that we have. Our whole mindset is to just go in there and do what we know we can do."
Rippy is from Columbus; the other two Ohio-bred Buffs grew up in towns about 15 minutes from the Ohio State campus. Stewart, a senior tailback, is from Westerville, while Olatoye, a sophomore cornerback, is from Dublin.
The trio of Ohio players on CU's roster could be the last in a while. Unlike his predecessor, first-year coach Jon Embree isn't going to search for talent that far outside of CU's "recruiting footprint" unless there's an initial interest shown by a top-tier recruit.
If such interest is exhibited, Embree said a questionnaire would be sent and he and his staff would evaluate the prospect and the Buffs' needs. "We're just not going to go blindly and throw stuff out there and waste resources and time recruiting kids that ultimately end up at Ohio State or Michigan," Embree said. "If a kid's contacted us or shown some interest, or kids have come out on unofficials (visits) from other areas, we'll recruit them just like they were part of the footprint."
The Buckeyes didn't show significant interest in any of the Buffs threesome after their senior seasons, although in Rippy's case it was because he was an early commit to Nebraska, prompting Ohio State to pull back. Plus, he grew up a Penn State fan - and in the shadow of "The Shoe," no less. At 5-6, 175 pounds, Stewart was under the Buckeyes' radar - literally. And Olatoye, who preferred soccer over football as a kid, attended an Ohio State football camp but the interest never became reciprocal.
All three Buffs are expected to play vital roles on Saturday as CU targets what would be a monumental road win, one Stewart says "would be a great relief . . . it'll definitely build the confidence we need to go get a couple more."
Rippy is CU's second-leading tackler (8.7 a game) and is second in quarterback sacks (2). Stewart is averaging a team-best 74.3 yards rushing a game, 92.3 receiving yards - second on the team - and a team-high 169.7 all-purpose yards. And Olatoye is seeing increasingly more snaps - he's got 40 in three games - in a secondary that could be minus starting corner Travis Sandersfeld for another three games.
None of the threesome has ever played a game at Ohio Stadium, but all have at least set foot in the stadium. Rippy and Olatoye have friends or former high school opponents on the Ohio State roster. And all three have been inundated by ticket requests from family and friends, with Rippy and Stewart saying they need "about 50" each and Olatoye noting if that many were available, "Yeah, I probably could use them."
But there's a deadline on the ticket requests. Stewart and Rippy both planned to turn their cell phones off by Thursday night or before. Olatoye likely will follow suit to curtail the distractions as game day approaches.
"I can't be distracted," Rippy said. "We've got one goal: come back with a win. A lot of people will want to be with you, hook up with you, see how you've been. But at the same time, it's a business trip - just like Hawai'i when we didn't go to the beach."
Rippy acknowledges that Saturday's game "means a lot, just for the fact that I was recruited by Ohio State . . . . To go back home is really good, but at the same time I have a job to do and that's the most important thing for me.
"I'm really excited, but I don't want to get too excited . . . I want to go out there and do my job. I don't want to try and do too much; I just want to be Doug Rippy."
His position coach, Brian Cabral, has the same goal: "I'm definitely going to go to him and help him with it," Cabral said. "I want him to go there and have fun. You're having fun when you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and making plays you're supposed to make. That's going to be my goal for him."
Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy has a similar plan for Stewart. "It's an important game for him and I want him to have fun," Bieniemy said. "But I don't want him to get caught up too much in coming home. And I don't think 'Speedy' will; he knows what this trip is about."
Both Cabral and Embree characterize Rippy as one of the Buffs' most emotional players. That, coupled with his on-field improvement, has enhanced Rippy's leadership ability, said Embree: "I don't believe you have to be a senior to be a leader, the starting quarterback to be a leader . . . guys at other positions can fill that role, and leadership is a lot of different things. Doug, because of the nature of his position and how well he plays and prepares and handles himself, he can be a leader for us.
"Doug has played well . . . he's gotten better at tackling and he does a good job getting guys lined up and getting calls in. There's a lot of responsibility put on him and he's handled it all very well."
Added Cabral: "He's starting to understand the defense and use the physical tools he has. He's just starting to realize that he can run and hit and play defense at the same time. He's an emotional player and once (opponents) know he's that kind of a player they're going to go after him and provoke him. He's going to have to have some poise, particularly this weekend."
Unlike Rippy, his CU roommate for their first two years in Boulder, Stewart grew up following Ohio State as well as its bitter Big Ten rival - Michigan. But the Buckeyes passed over him in the recruiting process, as did the Wolverines, as did most everyone else except a handful of Mid-American Conference schools. In fact, it took Rippy turning CU onto Stewart before the Buffs took notice.
"I think they (Ohio State) were more into bigger backs at the time . . . I don't know how it is now," said Stewart, who needs 50 yards to advance to No. 3 on CU's career rushing list. "I knew I had talent and could play somewhere, I just didn't know where it would be. But I'm here (at CU) today."
To a man, Rippy, Stewart and Olatoye believe the butterflies that will accompany their homecoming won't last long.
Said Olatoye: "It means a lot to me, getting to go home and play against some friends I know on the team, people I played against in high school, and play in front of a lot friends and family. Of course, I'll have those pregame jitters and what-not. But once the game gets going you settle into the flow of things."
Presumably during his team's pregame warm-ups or even before, Stewart will "probably be looking for friends and family first - try to spot them, make eye contact . . . and just let them know 'I did it, I'm here.'
"I didn't imagine too much being in that stadium, but I imagined being in an atmosphere of college football. I did envision myself playing against them one day . . . I don't know how that's going to transfer over to the field. I might take a couple of deep breaths or something and try to get it out of my head and just focus on the game."
Ohio Stadium's gargantuan size and boisterous capacity crowd can adversely affect a visiting team, but Rippy said he won't allow it: "It won't terrify or frighten me at all. If you go in there and do your job you don't have to worry about that. If you prepare yourself for this game, there's nothing to be intimidated by. Just from watching film, I don't see anything that will intimidate me at all."
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
