Ohio State football practice started with a bang today as the Buckeyes took to the heated fields behind the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in full pads and, well, used them.

“We were popping pretty good today,” cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said.

Of course, that’s a good thing, especially for members of the defense who haven’t really smacked anyone in full get-up since the spring game in late April.

“It’s hot but it’s an opportunity,” said Chekwa, OSU’s most proven cover man. “It’s our first day in pads, so I was excited to come out here and hit.”

Even more thrilled with the full contact was safety/nickelback Tyler Moeller, who missed all of last season because of a serious head injury. He was cleared for full-go contact a couple weeks ago and got good and messy today.

“In a nutshell, it means everything to me,” said Moeller, a senior from Cincinnati. “Riding the bench for three years and then getting a shot and getting hurt then to come back here and be able to play and be able to contribute on the team, it’s everything to me.”

Moeller said the only time he hesitated in the two-hour session was on one play, and that was to avoid a cut block by fullback Zach Boren on a blitz. Head coach Jim Tressel said in Chicago earlier this month that Moeller is the team’s starting nickel and also should be prevalent on cover teams.

“It was great to see him back, and not just because he’s a great football player,” Chekwa said. “He’s a close friend of mine.”

Another defensive back ready to prove his worth is safety Jermale Hines, who manned the nickel role last year but had a hard time seeing the field when OSU was in its base defense since he was behind seniors Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell. Those three-year starters are gone, and Hines is now the most experience member of the last segment of the defense.

“Definitely there is a lot of competition,” he said. “No one is locked in, including myself. I think that’s why you saw so many guys going at it today.”

The defense looked ready to defend its scarlet practice jerseys as several protectors cut off passing angles and got pressure in the backfield. However, the offense also had its moments in the 11-on-11 drills, particularly in one sequence of snaps from the 10-yard line in which all three offensive units scored touchdowns.

Joe Bauserman, still the listed backup quarterback behind Terrelle Pryor despite the emergence of youngster Kenny Guiton, made a good case today with several completions into tight areas, including one at the pylon to fullback James Georgiades.

Also, freshman tailback Carlos Hyde showed off his bruising running style and carried defenders on a few reps. He also scored in going in each direction on outside sweeps in goal-line drills.

“Carlos is a very powerful guy,” veteran RB Daniel “Boom” Herron said. “He’s a big guy and he has speed also.”

The theme of the day, however, simply was the physicality – certainly a different vibe than Sunday’s jovial team picture and Media Day. In fact, at one point, newcomers Andrew Norwell and David Durham scuffled well after the whistle, with the young linebacker (Durham) ripping off the helmet of the hulking offensive lineman (Norwell), who retaliated with a vicious shove to the ground.

“Hey, don’t take that from him!” defensive end Cameron Heyward yelled from the sideline at Durham.

Still, there were no hard feelings afterward.

“That’s just part of the want to get on the field and guys being hungry,” Chekwa said with a shrug.

The following are more observations from today’s practice:

* The session began at 9:15 and ended at 11:20. Fortunately for the players, it was the only practice of the day. Two-a-days begin tomorrow.

* A handful of players were not on hand because of morning class, including offensive lineman Marcus Hall and linebacker Brian Rolle, who did arrive to watch the last few segments.

* Also absent was freshman running back Roderick Smith. He apparently is still in Fort Wayne, Ind., even though he offered assurances days ago that he was academically cleared and would be arriving to Columbus very soon.

* Reserve tailback Jaamal Berry, who had trouble hanging onto the ball in spring scrimmages, fumbled again, this time on a goal-line play. He was stuffed and knocked sideways when the ball popped loose.

At the end of the same play, linebacker Tony Jackson continued to engage an offensive lineman after the whistle.

“Don’t get mad now because you got knocked on your ass – go get it!” LBs coach Luke Fickell screamed at Jackson.

* Pryor took limited reps in the middle of practice but was on point when under center. On one play in the red zone he stood tall, waited for Dane Sanzenbacher to cross and hit him between the 1 and the 2 for a nifty touchdown at the pylon. On another, he threaded one in to DeVier Posey for another score.

It would be good to know that the coaches are going to let him make those kinds of throws this season.

* The second-tier receivers struggled to hang onto balls in the middle of the field, although Chris Fields ran a nice “sit” route, grabbed a well-timed pass from Bauserman and turned it into a TD near the hash line.

Freshman T.Y. Williams looks to be all of 6-6 but failed to get very high off the ground on a fade and let the ball go through his fingertips. Corey Brown made a couple solid receptions but was popped hard over the middle by Christian Bryant on a dump off from Pryor.

Also, Verlon Reed, a former quarterback from Columbus, is trying to make a dent at wide receiver but didn’t have a very productive day. He committed at least two drops near the numbers and wasn’t able to work free downfield.

* The Buckeyes fielded a pair of 6-8 tackles on the first team as Mike Adams took the first snap at left tackle and J.B. Shugarts lined up on the right side. They both appeared comfortable and confident.

* Speaking of big boys, freshman quarterback Taylor Graham is a behemoth but as you’d expect his footwork needs fine-tuned. He looked awkward on rollouts and also forced a pass in the flat that was deflected and picked off by Etienne Sabino. On another rep, he was sacked, tried to move the ball to his left hand and fumbled. Keep learning, young man.

* With Rolle out of action, Andrew Sweat got a ton of reps in the middle and was very active. He applied commendable pass coverage on tight end Jake Stoneburner to prevent a TD on one play and was especially effective going forward and disrupting blocking schemes.

* Projected starting corner Devon Torrence did not practice because of a mild hamstring injury. Torrence has changed his jersey number from 10 to 1 for this season.

* Freshman defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins is a major load inside and gets push in the middle on almost every snap. He also has pleased coaches with his conditioning.

* Big Ten Network attended the session and on-air analyst Gerry DiNardo, a former head coach at Indiana and LSU, marched around the sidelines and took notes. BTN taped a segment from a remote stage near the field.

Other noteworthy observers were several NFL scouts, Ohio State Football Radio Network analyst Jim Lachey, former OSU head coach John Cooper and ex-OSU sports information director Steve Snapp.

* The team will conduct its kick scrimmage in the stadium on Saturday and the jersey scrimmage is set for Aug. 21, the following Saturday. Both of those practices are closed to the public as are the ones at the WHAC.