The Associated Press

PHOENIX - After an ankle injury robbed him of his aggressiveness last season and prevented him from practicing in the spring, many teammates were wondering what to expect from Ohio State linebacker Matt Wilhelm when workouts resumed in late July.

"The question was, is he going to come out and be tentative and sheepish or is he going to come out like a lion?" Buckeyes free safety Donnie Nickey said.

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Wilhelm answered emphatically with an All-American season as OSU ran the table and reached the national title game against Miami in the Jan.3 Fiesta Bowl.

Still, it's not as if the Hurricanes have noticed. Miami center Brett Romberg wasn't certain who Wilhelm was at first.

After Wilhelm was described to him, Romberg remembered him from watching game tapes.

"He's a big dude, right? He's bigger than our right guard, for crying out loud," Romberg said. "He's going to make my head sore all night long, I can imagine. He's going to come downhill a lot. He's aggressive. I don't know how he is covering the pass, but I know he's a good run-stopper. I'm sure we'll meet a few times in the game and exchange a few words, and then we'll go on about our way, I guess."

It's OK with Wilhelm that the Hurricanes don't know him. He's spent most of his career in the shadows, as has Ohio State. He is quick to defend the Buckeyes, who are a two-touchdown underdog in the game.

"Everyone wants the blowout - teams winning by 35 or 40 points to be national champions," Wilhelm said. "We're a team that's survived a lot of close calls. But it also speaks to the type of team we are. We are resilient. We find a way to win."

That also goes for Wilhelm, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound senior. A year ago, he tore three ligaments in his right ankle in a victory over Northwestern and was never the same. His mobility was limited and he couldn't make the precise cuts needed to run down ball carriers. His stats dwindled - fewer tackles, half as many tackles for minus yardage, just one sack.

Wilhelm had surgery on Jan.15 and, even though he was unable to play in the spring, he still studied films, lifted weights and remained in top condition.

By the time the Buckeyes reconvened for preseason camp late in the summer, Wilhelm found himself No.2 on the depth chart behind Fred Pagac Jr. He wasn't angry that the coaching staff had demoted him.

"It was just a matter of time for me," Wilhelm said. "I knew the time would come."

During the first scrimmage in Ohio Stadium, Wilhelm went 50 snaps on defense and made 16 tackles.

"The coaches were like, `OK, he's back. He's getting his spot back,'" he said.

Wilhelm responded with a huge season. He almost doubled his tackles total to 111 to lead the team, had 161/2 tackles for minus yardage and three sacks. He was selected as the Big Ten Conference's defensive player of the year.

"I always thought he was good, but he went beyond that this year," OSU head coach Jim Tressel said.

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