Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 37

SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 2013 DAYTON DAILY NEWS COMPLETE. IN-DEPTH. DEPENDABLE. C7 SPORTS Flyers set sights on prize By Chris Moorman Contributing Writer The 2013 season brings a major change to the Pioneer Football League. Two teams (Mercer and Stetson) will be in their season of PFL play this season, but the one thing all the coaches stop mentioning was the addition of an automatic bid to the FCS for the PFL champion.

Numerous coaches said the automatic berth is great boost for were in the (Division III) quite UD coach Rick Chamberlin said. people in Dayton got accustomed to that. we went to the FCS and the Pioneer Football League and have that opportunity through the league to be able to get into the something people in the Dayton community were missing. So now they have this opportunity again, a more legitimate opportunity, really exciting for the city of Dayton. That just means now for us in our Dayton football program, one of those expectations placed upon our program During a 12-year span starting in 1980, Dayton won two national championships (1980, 1989) and was national runner- up three times (1981, 1987, 1991) in D-III.

That tradition has been the measuring stick for recent Dayton teams, and players and coaches will say that 6-5 records during the past two seasons are not good years. UD will have to out who will be calling the shots under center as senior quarterback Will Bardo, the starter for the past two seasons, has been battling with redshirt sophomore Luke Johnson for the starting job. Dayton does a have solid defensive unit returning that in the top three of nearly every defensive statistic in the PFL. On Wednesday, senior defensive end Pat Dowd, redshirt senior linebacker Colin Monnier and redshirt senior cor nerback Kyle Sebetic were the only Dayton players named to the All-PFL preseason team. those three guys, proven players and you know what going to do each and every week because of their experience and their Chamberlin said.

Dayton was picked to in the annual poll and the Flyers will open the season on the road against a scholarship program Youngstown State on Aug. 29. Pioneer League champion will get automatic FCS bid. DAYTON FOOTBALL Dayton quarterback Will Bardo (3), the starter for the past two seasons, has been battling with redshirt sophomore Luke Johnson for the job. CONTRIBUTED BY CHARLES CAPERTON have a nice little contingent of playmakers, that our only playmaker No.

Meyer said. think last year we have very much dence in the surrounding personnel. The half of the season, you could ask, else did we trust to put the ball in their But by the end of the year, we rely on Braxton as Miller expects to be even more explosive this year. He not only has a better grasp of the offense, but believes be allowed to rely more on his natural instincts. feel a lot more dent than what I was last year.

like, I know what actually doing this And it can change up the whole game plan. The plays are in my mind, and I second-guess he said. For all his athletic gifts, Miller surprisingly had a hard time dodging pass-rushers last year. The Buckeyes, who had a quality line, gave up 29 sacks, 10th most in the Big Ten. year, I scramble as much as my freshmen he said.

felt like I was trying to be too perfect. It took away some of my game, and coordinator Tom) Herman sometimes says, make the big and working on that. tell me try to be too perfect. If you want to be too perfect, going to take away from your game. They tell me to get outside the pocket and go back to the game I played when I was a freshman or in high But Miller also believes he be overburdened this year and can avoid some of the injuries that caused him to miss a play or more against Michigan State, Nebraska and Purdue.

He worked in the season with incoming freshmen Dontre Wilson, Jalin Marshall, Ezekiel Elliott and James Clark, all of whom are considered blazers. new recruitment is unbelievable speed and he said. are learning the plays. I think anyone is going to have to redshirt here. got to Wilson, a hybrid running back-receiver who from Oregon to OSU just before signing day, was a top sprinter in his native Texas.

out for him this Miller said. Decker in battle: Right tackle is the only open spot on the sive line. Meyer said Taylor Decker, a sophomore from Vandalia, has the edge going into camp, although in a battle with sophomore Chase Farris, a converted defen sive lineman. Left tackle Jack Me whort said Decker is big, athletic kid, and really bright. smart, so he knows everything there is to know about playing tackle in this offense.

He works hard, strong. He just needs to come along and realize not a freshman anymore. Get that edge, that grit to him. And if he ures it out, going to be Prime-time games: The Buckeyes will have at least three night games this season, kicking at 8 p.m. against Wisconsin and Penn State at home and Northwestern on the road.

love night games. It reminds me of Friday Night Lights in high Miller said. feel like everyone is watching when under the lights. I wish we could have a night game every Contact this reporter at 937-225-2125 or email Doug.Harris@coxinc.com. Recruits add speed to OSU continued from 1 Ohio Braxton Miller says he expects to be more explosive entering his junior year and third season as the starting quarterback.

BARBARA J. PERENIC STAFF By Mary Kay Cabot The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer BEREA Midway through training camp, Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner envisions quarterback Brandon Weeden starting the season, but been impressed with second-teamer Jason Campbell. getting Brandon ready to be the Turner said. getting a big chunk of the work, but getting the other two guys (including Brian Hoyer) ready to play. As we know, you better have all three of those guys ready to play in this But Turner expect Weeden will struggle in the preseason games and lose the job.

envision that happening because of the way playing, but got to go Turner said. a question more for (head coach Rob Chudzinski) than for me, but I think everyone in that locker room understands that committed to playing the guys that give us the best chance to win. Until a guy has started and played at a high level and won, always going to be Turner acknowledged the has looked a little ragged at times, with more interceptions than any coach wants to see. had a lot of mixed results and more inconsistencies than like, but that surprise Turner said. Door open for Campbell Turner envisions Weeden as starter, but backups are ready.

BROWNS we do need to have that sense of urgency that this going to be on us real He said Weeden is operating from a mechanical standpoint, but is still sometimes thinking too much. doing it right and got a sense of urgency with his feet and the coming out, got all of the athleticism and the foot quickness and the arm quickness to get it Turner said. are some times when it may be a new play, it may be a defensive look that he had a lot of reps on, and when you starting thinking too much, you tend to slow down and working through He said Campbell, who had some familiarity with the system, is adapting well. really like what Jason has said Turner. say been in the system, but he found out right away a lot than what doing.

You can tell when in there that He said challenge is that everything is foreign to him here, whereas Weeden has spent a year with his supporting cast. you come into a place like this and you know anyone, getting used to the style of running game, getting used to the new tight Turner said. have a lot of young players, and a new He said also seen progress in third-stringer Hoyer, who spent his three seasons as Tom understudy in New England. like Turner said. getting zeroed in on what Browns coordinator Norv Turner expects Brandon Weeden to be the starter at quarterback this season.

DAVID RICHARD ASSOCIATED PRESS.