COLUMBUS (AP) — Here’s a truly digital look at the 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes, by the numbers:
7,000,000_In dollars, the cost of the new scoreboard at Ohio Stadium and other updated electronic gadgets around the old place on the banks of the Olentangy. The 11-year-old scoreboard was a measly 30 feet by 90 feet. The new one is 42 feet by 124 feet and will feature a high-definition that which utilizes “Surface Mount Diode LED technology.”
4,200,000_In dollars, estimate of how much Urban Meyer gets paid for the calendar year 2012 under the six-year contract he signed with the university. That does not include so-called “retention payments” of $450,000, $750,000 and $1.2 million — separate from his escalating contract — he’ll get if he’s still the coach at the end of January in 2014, 2016 and 2018, respectively.
1988_Last time the Buckeyes had a losing record (4-6-1) before last year’s 6-7 mark.
1897_Last time Ohio State lost seven games in a season prior to 2011.
560_Face value, in dollars, of a season ticket to Ohio State football this fall ($70 per home game).
223_Number of new high-def TVs around the stadium concourse and press box, also part of the $7 million electronics makeover.
165_Difference in weight between the heaviest player (340-pound DL Chris Carter) and the lightest (175-pound DB Vince Petrella).
127_Yards per game passing by the Buckeyes in 2011, which ranked 115th of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
107_Where Ohio State ranked in total offense of the 120 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2011.
80_Height, in inches, of the tallest Buckeye, 6-foot-8 tight end-turned-lineman Reid Fragel. That’s exactly a foot taller than his shortest teammate, CB Adam Griffin.
79_Length of the suspension, in days, of senior LB Storm Klein. Initially charged with domestic violence after an incident with the mother of his child, Klein was kicked off the team July 7 by Meyer for a violation of the program’s “core principles.” Klein pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor Wednesday, appealed to Meyer, and was reinstated Thursday night. He will sit out at least the first two games.
41_Points surrendered by North Carolina in a 41-21 loss to Missouri in last season’s Independence Bowl, which was current Ohio State defensive co-coordinator Everett Withers’ last game in that role for the Tar Heels.
37_Number of wins Meyer’s teams have in their first four games of his 10 seasons as a head coach. The losses include a 37-31 setback at Marshall in the fourth game of his first season at Bowling Green in 2001, a 28-26 loss to Texas A&M in the second game of his debut season at Utah in 2003, and at home against Mississippi in the fourth game of the 2008 season, his fourth year at Florida.
28_Buckeyes who weight at least 275 pounds, including 12 who go at least 300 pounds. And that’s after Ohio State hired Sarah Wick as the new staff dietitian.
25_Incoming freshmen members of the recruiting class. Meyer has said “a ton” of freshmen will play this season.
13_Round of the MLB draft in which Meyer was drafted by the Atlanta Braves after graduating from Ashtabula (Ohio) St. John High School. He played two years in the bushes before going to the University of Cincinnati, where he played defensive back on the football team.
9_Members of the recruiting class who enrolled in either January or March at Ohio State. Not coincidentally, perhaps, almost all nine have been mentioned by Meyer as being freshmen who will have an immediate impact.
8_Home games, matching the most in history (2002, 2003).
4_Losing skid heading into the 2012 season, the longest to begin a Buckeyes season since the 1898 team inherited a five-game losing streak; the number also represents that Meyer has retained the existing defensive coordinator at each of his four head coaching positions (at Ohio State, Luke Fickell).
3_Number of mission trips P Ben Buchanan has made to Honduras, where he helped build a dental clinic.
2_B1G logos on the FieldTurf at Ohio Stadium this season, at each end of the field between the 20- and 30-yard lines facing the west or press box side; also, 2012 marks the second annual Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes are not eligible for a title, that game, or a bowl because of NCAA sanctions.
1_Name, two players. Corey Brown, nicknamed “Philly” after his hometown, will be a go-to guy at WR. Corey Brown, nicknamed “Pittsburgh,” is a backup at safety. The Corey Brown on offense wears No. 10; the one on defense, who is no relation, has a 3 on his jersey.
.771_Meyer’s winning percentage in his first seasons at Bowling Green (8-3 in 2001), Utah (10-2 in 2003) and Florida (9-3 in 1005). If he approximates that percentage this year, the Buckeyes will go 9-3.