The leaves are falling, there’s about to be a chill in the air on sunny afternoons, and it’s time to start the Big Ten schedule. How ready are the Buckeyes? Nothing like a West Coast trip to find out.
Columbus, OH – Ryan Day didn’t sound playoffs urgent. He didn’t sound Texas urgent.
But a modicum of urgency accompanied his manner, nonetheless, at Tuesday’s press conference in the team room. For starters, he uncharacteristically arrived three minutes ahead of schedule.
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His answers were more succinct than usual during his 23 minutes at the podium. Not in a clipped or impatient way. But businesslike.
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Ryan Day is eager to see his No. 1 Ohio State football team on the field again, playing against worthy opponents. You get the feeling he will be checking his watch between now and 3:30 Saturday as each next-thing on the practice, travel and walk-through schedules approach.
After the two guaranteed wins on the schedule and a week off, Day is ready to go, ready to see how much his team has improved, ready for the challenges of the Big Ten.
Most eyes on the Big Ten this Saturday will be focused on No. 6 Oregon’s trepidatious trip into Beaver Stadium against No. 3 Penn State. But don’t underestimate the Buckeyes’ daytime affair in Seattle at noisy Husky Stadium to face unranked and unbeaten Washington, which two years ago played in the national championship game. Apprehension awaits. Always does when you are doing things for the first time.
This is the first road game of a season, which creates vigilance within the coaching staff. Last year they traveled to Oregon on Friday and lost on Saturday. Day said that didn’t cost them the game. He said the team was completely ready to play.
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Still, for the three playoff games in California, Texas and Georgia, the Buckeyes traveled two days before the game. This week they leave on Thursday. Day said a lot of conversation has gone into determining what helps them play at a maximum level. Two days, apparently, are better than one.
Day also says these trips are good for his program because they help recruiting. And trips like this, just like the one to Oregon last year, are good experiences for the playoffs.
Julian Sayin will find it folly to ask for quiet in the always-hostile Husky Stadium, in Seattle.
“That’s what’s great about being in the Big 10,” he said. “You see so many different styles of stadiums, different fan bases. And while I’ve never played at Washington, I’ve heard great things about it.”
Husky Stadium, often cited as a top-10 difficult place to play, will be the first hostile crowd for this team. The coaches understand the challenges, and some players have been through similar situations. But not as the team is constituted now.
“That’s the challenge for everybody in the building, to make sure each year we have that,” Day said. “It’s also the job of the players to be able to step up in those environments early on and be able to execute at a high level. We know this is going to be a great challenge.”
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New starting quarterback Julian Sayin, a redshirt freshman, is making his first road start. It won’t be in front of a lackluster crowd like Kyle McCord faced two years ago at Indiana. Day said it’s imperative not to make assumptions that Saturday will feel the same for Sayin as playing at home where he’s been the nation’s leader in completion percentage.
“It’s going to be a challenging environment, it’s almost like going back to the beginning, going back to basics,” Day said. “Because anytime you go on the road everything’s a little bit more difficult. We have to, amidst the environment and the noise and the chaos, have poise and composure. We can’t let the environment dictate how we play.”
Not the most experienced, but freshman Bo Jackson has been the most exciting of the Buckeye running backs.
The offense will know its cadences for the snap on every play in an attempt to mitigate the crowd noise. All Day can hope for is perfect execution and no false starts.
Ohio State’s running game continues to evolve into something no one is quite sure of yet. Veteran transfer C.J. Donaldson has the most experience, James Peoples had an heir apparent look to him in preseason, and true freshman Bo Jackson has been the most exciting.
Finding the right balance for using all three might never be a settled feeling this season. Playing the hot hand is always a go-to move. Getting any of them in a rhythm won’t be easy.
“We’ll look at the game plan, we’ll look at where we are, we’ll look at the health of everybody, and then figure out who deserves carries,” Day said. “There’s no question that Bo did flash last game. We’re going to keep building on that as we move forward.”
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Beyond the running game Saturday, the Buckeyes’ offensive line must be aggressive and prepared to handle Washington’s four-man pass rush, which leads the nation with a 50% pressure rate. In the middle of the line, roams a rotation of 300-plus tackles.
“They have some talented pass rushers,” Day said.
But the aggressiveness of the Huskies’ defense goes beyond the trenches. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, the former Purdue head coach, has built a strong reputation for coaching high-performing defenses.
“They do a great job of getting everybody in one-on-one situations,” Day said. “Coach Walters has always done a great job of that. It’ll be a really good challenge for everybody on the field. Everybody has to win their one-on-ones the way that the style of defense is played. He knows exactly what he’s trying to get done each play.”
One-on-one battles are likely to take place in the secondary. The Huskies have tall and long defensive backs that Walters will want to test against receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. If Sayin has time to throw, those downfield fights for position could be a determining factor.
Another determining factor will be how well the Buckeyes defend Washington quarterback Demond Williams’ dual-threat abilities. He is sixth in the nation in completion percentage (73.5) and averages 77.3 rushing yards per game.
“A quarterback who can move with the quickness and the acceleration that he moves with is difficult,” Day said. “But not only that, he’s very accurate with the football, makes good decisions, doesn’t turn the ball over, extends plays. It’s a great challenge for our defense.”
These things considered (and probably a lot more), obviously give the Buckeyes a sense of urgency to play disciplined, to play well, to play their best.
“This is a very, very good team, really good in all three phases, and well coached,” Day said. “To go and get this one on the road is going to take everything we got with this team.”
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