Ask a regular Ohio State fan what positions are going to be most difficult to fill this upcoming season, and the typical responses would likely be middle linebacker, both safety positions and punter.

Ask coach Jim Tressel the same question and the answer will likely be similar with one addition – the holder.

“There’s a heck of a battle for holder. That may sound insignificant, but it is significant,” Tressel said. “We were something like 25-of-28 field goals last year, and that was due in part to the holder.”

When All-American Andy Groom finished his eligibility last year, he took more than his strong punting leg with him. He was rock-solid as the holder, and his replacement at punter, B.J. Sander, has had some struggles with the holding duties this spring.

Junior kicker Mike Nugent hit only 4-of-7 field goal attempts last week in a special teams scrimmage and admitted the transition to a new holder has been difficult.

“What I’ve been doing is trying to get in there with B.J. as much as I can, and that’s kind of what spring is for,” Nugent said. “This spring game coming up will be good for us to see how it works in a game situation.”

Sander’s ability to take over for Groom as a punter is of slight concern to Tressel as the start of the 2003 season nears, but the coach believes Sander’s leg will be strong enough to get the job done without much problem.

In the scrimmage last week, Sander said some of his punts were hanging in the air 5.1 seconds, an excellent hang time for a punter at any level.

Sander said he has been working a lot on getting consistent hang time, allowing his teammates to prevent any significant returns. The goal is to have a net punting average of more than 40 yards.

If that goal is to be accomplished, it will take more than just solid hang time by the kicker – it will take phenomenal kick coverage, something OSU got a lot of last year.

Players often pride themselves on making special teams units in addition to playing their regular positions.

“Being a ballplayer, you want to be on the field as much as possible, so you don’t ever complain about being on special teams or anything like that,” said sophomore Nate Salley, a safety and member of the kickoff coverage unit. “You just want to be out there, so you can have more chances to make big plays.”

With players like Hawk and Salley leading the way, the special teams units were near flawless last year, helping OSU win so many of its close games that came down to field position.

It might not be the most entertaining brand of football to watch, but as Tressel and the Buckeyes proved last year, relying heavily on special teams is an effective way to win games.