Buckeyes getting into game shape.

The Buckeyes are hitting their stride at just the right time. First it was Eugene Clifford getting into a bar fight. Now the Columbus Dispatch reports that starting defensive tackle Doug Worthington was picked up this past weekend under suspicion of DUI.

I am far less worried about the trend. Ever since Maurice Clarett set all kinds of records for law-breaking following his dismissal from Ohio State, it would seem that the rest of the herd has been "scared straight".

We simply have not seen a lot of lawlessness out of the Buckeyes lately. The few things that show up on the police blotter are frankly, silly. Prime example would be Antonio Henton's dalliance with a "lady of the night" who was actually a wolf in whore's clothing.

It should be pointed out by the way that both Henton and Clifford have matriculated elsewhere for various reasons. Certainly the dreaded 'Tressel doghouse' was a factor in those moves.

Here's hoping that the same doesn't happen to Doug Worthington. We are in desperate need of vast improvement from DW.

There are two positions that need to pick it up if the Buckeyes are going to make a run for all the marbles. The first is QB, and I've already gone over in detail the shortcomings of Todd Boeckman.

A close second in the 'desperately needs improvement' category is the defensive tackle position. There simply has not been much production out of those guys over the last two years.

A great example of this is Doug Worthington himself. The guy played in all 13 games last season, starting all but one. He recorded an unremarkable 24 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.

I mean c'mon! Does that stat sheet really say 24 tackles? That's less then two per game. That's pathetic for a starting defensive lineman. I'm guessing that out there somewhere is a punter that made 25 tackles last season.

Part of the problem is that Doug Worthington is playing in the wrong position. He's not even a DT. At 6'7", he's far better suited to defensive end, or tight end for God's sake.

Yet the Buckeyes are woefully thin when it comes to tackle along the interior of the defensive line. So guys like Worthington that look big enough to play tackle and aren't quite as talented as the Lawrence Wilson's and Vernon Gholston's of the world get moved to the middle.

Here's all you need to know about Doug Worthington and his ability to play defensive tackle. He's 6'7". He has "put on 10 lbs." in the offseason according to the Dispatch and hopes to play at 285 or 290 this fall.

That certainly sounds beefy enough but consider this, the best DT in the nation last year was LSU's Glen Dorsey. He clocked in for the NFL Draft at 6'1", 295 lbs. That's a totally different type of body clogging up the middle.

Guys that are in the neighborhood of six feet tall and around 300 lbs. and athletic are exactly what OSU is missing right now, and it's a problem. Fast and fat, that's what we're in need of.

Here's the time and temp for the last few productive Buckeyes at the DT position (I'm using the numbers currently being provided by the NFL):

Quinn Pitcock - 6'2", 299 lbs.
Tim Anderson - 6'3", 304 lbs.
Darrion Scott - 6'3", 289 lbs.
Kenny Peterson - 6'3", 285 lbs.
Ryan Pickett - 6'2", 322 lbs.

And on and on and on.

The point here is that I'm sure Doug Worthington is a superstar on the pick-up basketball circuit. He has about as much business playing defensive tackle as Paul Hamm in my opinion.

Doug Worthington should be a back-up defensive end, or trying to shift to tight end. He should not be a starting DT for a national title contender. Granted, DW is a special case and not entirely indicative of the Buckeyes' issues at this position. He does illustrate what we're working with here.

In the last week I have seen statistical analysis from collegefootballnews.com that shows the vast disparity that exists regarding defensive tackles entering the pro's out of the SEC. They have statistically significantly advantages when it comes to defensive tackle talent. It's legit, and it's real.

I also read this from the Sporting New's Matt Hayes from an interview with current UCLA coach and March Madness fan Rick Neuheisel in the last few days. From sportingnews.com...

I sat in Rick Neuheisel's office earlier this spring, watching highlights of elite high school players on national signing day. UCLA had just landed a top-10 class, and hope was on the horizon. Then a highlight of heralded defensive tackle Omar Hunter, who signed with Florida, rolled across the screen.

"You want to know why the SEC is so good?" Neuheisel said. "Guys like that. They're all over that league."

And on and on and on.

Guys like Glenn Dorsey can change games, and they do. The good news though is that the SEC's superiority in the middle of the defensive line is no secret. You can bet the rest of the country is looking for the next Glen Dorsey already.

In the meantime, we'll see if the Doug Worthington's of the world can try and hold the line at Ohio State. That is of course, if they're sober enough to see the line at all.