Buckeyes have answered bell

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- They are a unit. Not entirely all for one, one for all, but close enough. If you look for a starting point, it came at spring practice when a group of Ohio State defenders looked at each other, shrugged off the nine job openings posted for a team that had earned three Bowl Championship Series bids and a national title in four years, and said we can do better.

Or just as well.

So it came to pass for No. 1 Ohio State and a defense that had been cast into rebuild mode after players such as A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter moved on to the National Football League.

"We had prepared as a unit all along," senior defensive tackle David Patterson said yesterday as the Buckeyes went through the media day hoopla in preparation for Monday night's BCS national championship game against Florida. "We were all working hard, but we came out of spring practice with a sense of unity and a chemistry."

Patterson and fellow tackle Quinn Pitcock were the two returning starters. They were also the foundation of a unit that has helped the Buckeyes produce 12 straight victories and a ranking as the No. 2 defensive team in the country in scoring average (10.4 points per game).

The Buckeyes have done it with toughness, speed, and flare, both on and off the field. Take, for example, the linebackers, who had to replace Hawk and Carpenter.

Say hello to James Laurinaitis, who has a dual distinction at Ohio State. He is the first scholarship player from Minnesota to play for the Buckeyes since the legendary Sid Gillman played in Columbus from 1931-33. He is also the son of Joe Laurinaitis, who, a generation ago, was known as professional wrestler "Animal" of the famed "Legion of Doom."

Yesterday, Laurinaitis spent as much time talking about being the son of a WWF legend as he did about winning the Bronko Nagurski Award as the best defensive player in the country this season.

"It was fun," said Laurinaitis, who hosted wrestling parties as a kid. "My favorite was The Rock. My friends came over and we knew all the wrestlers and we would stage these matches."

Laurinaitis's younger sister, Jessica, would play the role of ring announcer as her brother and his friends staged their matches.

When someone asked Laurinaitis if he planned to follow his father's career path, the 6-foot-3-inch, 244-pound middle linebacker who led the Buckeyes in tackles (100) and interceptions (5) this season, smiled and said, "Maybe if things don't work out in football. My dad and I talked about doing something like that, maybe where I played the role where I was in trouble in the ring and my dad came in as part of a tag team and bailed me out. It could be an option."

Another Buckeye standout is senior cornerback Antonio Smith, who came to Ohio State on an academic scholarship and who worked his way into the starting lineup after asking for and finally receiving an athletic scholarship from coach Jim Tressel.

Smith, who is recovering from a bruised left shoulder that has limited his practice time the past few weeks, is a poster boy for perseverance.

"I didn't know anything was going to happen," said Smith about working his way from special teams contributor to starting cornerback. "I was trying to be the best person and the best player I could be. And trying to contribute to the team. I guess hard work and dedication pays off. It's an honor for me to be here."

The Buckeye defense has certainly gotten the attention of a Florida team that must find ways to reach the end zone.

"I think their secondary is similar to ours," said Florida wide receiver Dallas Baker. "They have corners who can make big plays and also have safeties with pretty good size who can come up and make a play.

"As for the speed issue, that's what makes Ohio State, Ohio State. Everybody is saying Big Ten this and Big Ten that. But if you really look at it, they have speed like a team from the [Southeastern Conference]. That's why they're undefeated."

To remain undefeated, Ohio State will have to beat the best team in the SEC. "We're going to have to play our game defensively," said Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.

Ohio State has done that all season and if it does it again Monday night, the unity pledge the defensive unit made coming out of practice nine months ago will have spawned another national champion.

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.