Tressel: Schoenhoft still at tight end, Henton's backup quarterback
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State celebrated one major accomplishment on Saturday. The Buckeyes will have to wait a little over a week to see if they can pull off a bigger one.
At halftime of the men's basketball game, the Buckeyes football squad received a 30-second standing ovation after presenting the Big Ten championship trophy to athletic director Gene Smith.
"It's been a long and fun season, but it's not over with yet," captain Dionte Johnson told a cheering crowd of almost 18,000 at Value City Arena.
The Buckeyes are in the midst of workouts for their Jan. 7 showdown with LSU in the Bowl Championship Series national title game at the Louisiana Superdome.
Dressed in scarlet warmups, the players and coaches came in from a practice on Saturday morning and then left immediately after the presentation for the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to watch game films and attend meetings.
"This is a special recognition," Smith said during the ceremony at halftime of Ohio State's 92-83 victory over UMBC. "I think we're all proud of how these young men have performed relative to wins and losses, but I know you share my feelings in how they represent us not only on the field but in the classroom and off the field."
Still, it was a controversy involving a suspended player that Tressel had to sidestep later.
Several media outlets reported just over a week ago that starting cornerback Donald Washington and backup Eugene Clifford had been suspended for the game against LSU. Ohio State later confirmed that Clifford had been suspended, but never mentioned Washington in a release.
Washington has been practicing with the team and will play in the title game.
When asked if he had been close to losing Washington, Tressel said no during a brief interview session after the presentation ceremony.
He even took a shot at the media outlets which had cited unnamed sources for the reports about Washington.
Asked about reports there had been a lot of contact in practice, Tressel said, "No, I don't know there was heavy hitting. That might have been one of those inaccurate sources or something. I don't think we've tackled since we've been (working out)."
The Buckeyes will practice in Columbus until flying by charter to New Orleans on Jan. 2.
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