Veteran leadership is always a key ingredient to successful football seasons and Ohio State has had plenty of it over the last few years.Players like Eddie George, Greg Bellisari and Stanley Jackson have excelled on the field and have helped younger players develop. This season, fifth-year senior Jerry Rudzinski has helped carry on the tradition of Buckeye leadership.Rudzinski, a linebacker and co-captain, said he feels extra responsibility in getting the team ready to play this year.”I feel like I need to be a leader on the team and make sure we’re entering the game with the right mind set,” he said.The linebacker said other seniors have taken on some of the team’s leadership duties as well.”Being a captain is a little easier this year with some of the other senior leaders we have,” he said. “Guys like Damon Moore and Dee Miller, they’re going to help out.”Although he is not the biggest linebacker on the team, Rudzinski, 6-2, 225 pounds, has used his quickness and knowledge of the game to excel.”(Jerry) is very aware of things on the field,” defensive coordinator Fred Pagac said in the OSU media guide. “He is an excellent football player who can play all the positions. He is savvy and we count on him to be a leader.”Rudzinski ranks fifth on the team in tackles this season with 39. He is ranked third on the Buckeyes with eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks. Against Penn State he helped break open the game by forcing a Nittany Lion fumble and recovering the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.He said it has been great to be a part of this year’s team because of the other players.”It’s definitely the most fun I’ve had,” he said. “Every year has been special to me, but this year being a senior, being a captain and getting to hang out with guys like Dee Miller, Central McClellion, Brooks Burris and Joe Germaine, guys that have been here a long time, it’s been fun.”Rudzinski has been named an OSU Scholar-Athlete four times and has also gained academic all-Big Ten honors. He is one of the few Buckeyes who was on the roster the last time OSU beat Michigan. He said the Michigan game this year will take on a special importance because it is his last.”Beating Michigan would be the ultimate,” he said. “That’s why you come to OSU, to play in that Michigan game. Beating them this year would just be icing on the cake.””I was here when we beat them a couple of years back, and I just want to make sure the team is aware what a good feeling that is. I remember everybody came down on the field at the Horseshoe and it was honestly the most fun I’ve had since I’ve been at OSU.”Rudzinski said Bellisari taught him a valuable lesson when he got to Columbus and it is something he tries to pass down to young players.”He said ‘they recruit you at OSU, so you know you have the physical tools to compete at this level, but you’ll never get the job done unless you play with confidence,'” Rudzinski said. “I try to tell (young players), don’t think so much and just react out on the field and good things will happen.”