National Championship Speed

Over the past month, leading up to the BCS National Championship Game, the slight on Ohio St., especially following last season's collapse against Michigan was their lack of speed. It's always been a slight against the Big Ten in general, when compared to the SEC. You heard the Ohio St. players say it was a myth and you heard the media argue on both sides. Yet, no one actually looked at the numbers in any mainstream media outlets.

I went to Rivals.com and compiled a list of the 40-yard dash times of all of the speed positions for both LSU and Ohio St. Anyone who follows recruiting knows these numbers are certainly tweaked and are certainly unofficial. However, they are a decent guideline and if every player bumps up their time a tenth of a second, then they will be equal anyway. Check out the numbers:


LSU

WR Demetrius Byrd - 4.4
WR Early Doucet - 4.4
RB Jacob Hester - 4.6
TE Keith Zinger - 4.6
ATH/KR Trindon Holliday - 4.3

DE Tyson Jackson - 4.8
DE Kirston Pittman - 4.5
LB Luke Sanders - 4.6
LB Darry Beckwith - 4.53
LB Ali Highsmith - 4.5
CB Jonathon Zenon - 4.5
CB Chevis Jackson - 4.5
SS Craig Steltz - 4.5
FS Curtis Taylor - 4.6

OHIO STATE

WR Brian Hartline - 4.59
WR Brian Robiskie - 4.52
RB Chris Wells - 4.5
TE Rory Nicol - 4.75
ATH/KR Ray Small - 4.45

DE Vernon Gholston - 4.5
DE Cameron Heyward - 5.17
LB Larry Grant - 4.4
LB James Laurinaitis - 4.7
LB Marcus Freeman - 4.6
CB Malcom Jenkins - 4.43
CB Donald Washington - 4.5
SS Kurt Coleman - 4.41
FS Anderson Russell - 4.59

When you break it down by offense, there's no question LSU is faster. Both Doucet and Byrd are significantly faster than Robiskie and Hartline. At running back, Hester is slower than Wells, but LSU does cycle in Keiland Williams regularly, who runs a 4.4 and is faster than Wells. Tight end isn't all that important a comparison, because Ohio St. is more prone to use a blocking end. As for return men, it isn't even close. Trindon Holliday, a top class NCAA sprinter, is clearly the fastest player on either team and probably the fastest football player in the country. On the whole, the offense of LSU is certainly faster.

On defense, the LSU defensive ends are probably slightly faster. Gholston may be the fastest of the four ends, but the two on LSU together are better. Heyward's 40 time is so slow because he came into college as a defensive tackle. He's probably cut that down a few tenths by now, but he's still not that fast. The linebacking corps for LSU is also faster. I'd imagine Laurinaitis has gotten faster since entering college, when he was a little green, but the entire corps of LSU is still faster. The Ohio St. secondary, however, is faster than LSU. Part of that is Malcom Jenkins, a top NFL prospect, but the rest of the OSU secondary has a lot of speed as well. That surprised me a little, but Ohio St. has had a very good secondary over the past decade.

On the whole, LSU is a faster team. What that means on the field next Monday, who knows? They don't play the same type of football. But the Ohio St. speed factor is an issue and they are slower.