MVN - Most Valuable Network

Larry Grant: The Unheralded Beast of Columbus

Flashback to September 1, 2006. The No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes opened the season at home against Northern Illinois. The game was still in the first quarter, but

Ohio State was already up 21-0. Northern Illinois had their backs up against the wall and needed to rally if they wanted to avoid complete embarrassment. Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois’ do-it-all running back had just rumbled 61-yards on a screen pass to give his team their first possession inside the Buckeye red zone. On the ensuing play, like a flash of lightning, a Buckeye wearing No. 6, stepped in front of an errant pass and picked it off. Like another flash of lightning, the Buckeye took off down the sideline. The 6’3, 225-pound linebacker showed off his 4.45 speed as he raced down the field. The overcast skies had kept the field slick that day, and the Buckeye slipped trying to make a cut back, and was brought down after a 49-yard return.

Larry Grant had arrived.

Even though he did not score the touchdown in his first game as a Buckeye, the junior college transfer had made it his presence felt, and at that moment it became clear to Buckeye fans that they should expect big plays from him.

Fast forward to present day and the Buckeyes are ranked No. 4 in the country and sit undefeated once again at 5-0. Most of the votes they received in the polls have come out of respect for their defense.

Ohio State has arguably the best defense in the nation, allowing just over 7 points per game, and holding opposing offenses to under 200 yards per game. Speed and aggressiveness are the two most common words that are used to describe their style of play, and the first name that comes to mind is middle linebacker James Laurinaitis.

It’s with good reason that Laurinaitis is the face of the defense. His all-out style of play has become legendary around Columbus – and around the nation as well. However, what most fail to realize is that Laurinaitis is not the fastest - and he is not the most athletic of the Buckeye linebackers. That title goes to Grant.

Usually overlooked, and rarely mentioned by television analysts, Grant has quickly made a name for himself as a big play maker – something he excelled at when he was named the 2005 JUCO Player of the Year while playing at CC of San Francisco.

That year, Grant recorded 90 tackles, six sacks, four forced fumbles – and his specialty – six blocked punts. Grant describes himself as having great speed and being quick on his feet. After watching him play, it’s easy to agree with him.

There is an old saying that says, statistics don’t lie. That cannot be more accurate when talking about how important Grant is to this team. He leads the Buckeyes with seven tackles for a loss, he is second on the team with two sacks, and he has also recorded an interception.

Remember the Washington game earlier this year when the Buckeyes exploded after being sparked by a blocked field goal that made Tressel dance on the sideline like he was Terrell Owens? Yep, you guessed it – it was Grant that knifed through the Huskie’s line to make the block – again, his specialty.

So why hasn’t Grant become a household name around the country like Laurinaitis? Well, one of the problems is that with the spread offense becoming so popular in college football these days, the Buckeyes have had to play more nickel packages then they normally do. This calls for more defensive backs, and less linebackers. Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman are not going to come out of the game very often, which leaves Grant as the linebacker that loses playing time in the scheme of things. Add that to the fact that the Buckeyes have had huge leads many times this season, causing teams to throw the ball on every down, and you have an equation that limits the playing time Grant has seen so far.

However, as he has shown before, when given the chance he will make a big play. In fact, he has reminded many Buckeye fans of another former Buckeye named Grant who also played linebacker, and who also wore No. 6 - Cie Grant, was the Buckeye who pressured Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey to rush his throw on 4th and goal from the one in double overtime to give the Buckeyes the win in the 2003 BCS Championship game. Many have asked Larry, if he is related to Cie – but with Cie hailing from Georgia, and Larry coming from California – he is quick to point out that there is no relation. However, If Grant keeps continues to make big plays on defense, people will begin to ask Cie if he is related to Larry.

Even if Grant is overlooked most of the time, the important thing to remember is that he is there – with the ability to make a game changing play. What’s even more important to remember is that the Bucks still have Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan coming up later in the year. Three teams who favor the run - and three games where the score should be close.

That means more playing time for the unheralded beast of Columbus.

Perhaps Grant’s most significant moment as a Buckeye is still on the horizon?

When you think about the big plays Grant has already made – that’s an exciting thought.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at 6:16 am and is filed under Cie Grant, Larry Grant, Ohio State Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.