Van Raaphorst Request Tuned Out

Ohio State practice is closed to media--except for the first 15 minutes on alternate days.

And, yes, it’s closed even to the quarterback who was largely responsible for John Cooper’s biggest bowl victory when he coached at Arizona State.

The 1987 Rose Bowl most valuable player, Jeff Van Raaphorst, called Cooper recently to ask if he could attend Ohio State’s practice for the upcoming game. But, for the moment, Van Raaphorst is not the guy who threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns in Arizona State’s 22-15 victory over Michigan, he is a radio commentator for Sun Devil football games.

Cooper, in his southern drawl, replied to Van Raaphorst’s request as follows: “H-a-i-l, you the enemy now.”

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Add Van Raaphorst, on the pre-Rose Bowl hoopla: “I was actually glad to get on the field in the end. I was getting tired of all the interviews. The most stressful part is everyone dragging you here, there, talk to these people, talk to those. After the 10th, 11th day, people were reaching for stories, articles. People were getting down to: ‘What’s the name of your dog and is he an ASU fan?’ Just some crazy stuff.”

At least Thursday, no one asked offensive tackle Orlando Pace if he had a dog and whether he eats pancakes.