Jim Tressel has often said the goals of a football team can be obtained if senior football players make their last year a career best.
Among others, Matt Wilhelm is clearly taking notice.
The senior middle linebacker from Lorain, Ohio, is unquestionably playing his best during his last season at OSU.
The numbers adequately back that up.
He leads the team in tackles with a career-high 84, including 54 solo take-downs and 13.5 tackles-for-loss.
One of his stand-out games this year was Saturday at Purdue.
“Our defense played with great poise and patience,” Tressel said. “Our entire game plan by our defensive staff going into the game was really dependent upon Matt Wilhelm making all the adjustments.”
“Matt Wilhelm did an extraordinary job getting us in the right place, making adjustments, making changes in what we had to change. You’re only going to win on the road if you have the maturity. Our defense certainly showed a great deal of maturity,” Tressel said.
The Buckeye signal caller on defense, Wilhelm, has been named as one of 11 semifinalists for the 2002 Butkus Award, which is presented annually to college football’s top linebacker.
The semifinalists were selected from a list of 67 preliminary candidates, and the list will further narrow when three finalists are announced tomorrow. The winner will be chosen Dec. 13.
Wilhelm, an All-American candidate who had eight tackles last week against Purdue, hasn’t been shy of making the big play this year. One of his biggest came in the waning moments against the Boilermakers.
With the Purdue offense threatening to take the lead late in the game, Wilhelm netted a sack of Purdue quarterback Brandon Kirsch at the OSU 10-yard line, holding Purdue to a field goal opportunity.
He was also one of three Buckeyes to have an interception on the day. Wilhelm’s pick set up Mike Nugent’s 22-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
“We never know who’s going to make it (the big play),” Wilhelm said. “With Chris Gamble coming over a few weeks ago, we’ve got great confidence in him. He’s out there on his island. He does his thing. You never know when it’s going to be him, you never know when it’s going to be Mike (Doss), you never know when it’s going to be myself or a defensive lineman coming up with a sack.”
“It’s just great confidence in each other. I think as the season has gone on, we’ve handled some adversity, we’ve climbed those mountains and seen ourselves come out on top. We’ve just got great confidence in ourselves that we are not going to crumble,” Wilhelm said.
The OSU defense has allowed just one opponent more than 20 points all season and has held the opposition to a minuscule 16 points in the last 14 quarters.
The Buckeyes have not allowed a second-half touchdown the last five games, and Wilhelm said the primary reason: the Silver Bullets are going out and having fun.
“Early in the game we’re kind of reeling when we’re seeing new stuff we haven’t seen all week, but once we get comfortable we’re flying around,” he said. “One hundred percent, we’re having fun. There’s smiles on our faces, and plays are being made.”
