The Ohio State football team played a nearly flawless game Saturday night in the Horseshoe. But head coach Ryan Day isn’t close to being satisfied. That’s why his word for the week is improvement.
Columbus, OH – Welcome to “Improvement Week.”
Not the most inspiring of titles ever bestowed at The Ohio State University. Not a T-shirt slogan. Not close to being memorable. Nonetheless, a necessary process for achieving ultimate success in January.
“We need to continue to improve,” head coach Ryan Day said to the surprise of no one Tuesday when he announced the inaugural Improvement Week because the Buckeyes don’t play this Saturday. “Everybody else in the country is playing this week, for the most part, so we have to as well.”
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
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Finding fault in anything the No. 3 Buckeyes did in Saturday’s 56-0 domination of Western Michigan takes trained eyes. Sure, we saw a couple missed throws by quarterback Will Howard. We saw some penalties. You might have noticed a missed block or tackle or two. A special teams flub. Those are part of every game for every team.
But when have we seen a Ryan Day team play with such completeness of execution in all three phases against any opponent? It’s been a while.
But for this veteran team, one ravenous to right what it perceives as wrongs in recent seasons, all mistakes in execution are being labeled as unacceptable. And that’s the right approach. Because playing like a title contender against MAC teams is far from playing at that level against the Big Ten and in the playoffs.
So, the coaches study game video (as do the players) to discover inconsistencies and all those little things that make or break a season against the best opponents.
Pick it apart. Emphasize process over results. Prove to players that they can and must improve after 52-6 and 56-0. Don’t be satisfied.
“It’s not about the opponents, it’s about us, it’s about our standard,” Day said. “Well, what is the standard? Grade a champion, go be the hardest playing team in the country.”
“Every player played hard Saturday night (Quinshon Judkins, above). Guys played with emotion. Guys played with passion. But we’re nowhere where we need to be.” – Ryan Day
Every player will agree with Day’s plan for them to be the hardest playing team in America. The goal is not about proving something that can’t be quantified. It’s about a mindset. This week’s challenge to players: Remain focused at every step and accomplish measurable improvement.
The self-examination began Sunday on video screens. And Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are reserved for grueling practices and the players renewing their commitment to fundamentals on the practice field.
Day wants everyone in the building to think of this as a game week. He doesn’t want the established rhythm to be disrupted. And he wants coaches and players to consider the importance of mistakes that might not have cost them yet but could cost them when the schedule toughens.
The Buckeyes are doing plenty well. The opponents aren’t at their level, but since the second half against Akron execution has improved. Fans have seen for the past six quarters what they expect to see against MAC opponents.
Evidence also suggests that the players are taking Day’s demand of hardest playing team seriously. Eighty players got on the field Saturday, and there were no letdowns and no considerations of the score. The offense continued to execute at a high level and score in the second half. In those same 30 minutes, the defense permitted five yards, zero first downs and zero pass completions.
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“Watching the film we played hard on Saturday night,” Day said. “Guys played with emotion. Guys played with passion. And that’s a good start. But we’re nowhere where we need to be.”
Offensive line play, a recent weakness, was closely observed Saturday. The push downfield, the big runs and 273 rushing yards on 7.0 yards per carry were noticeable improvements.
Day isn’t ready to declare them the best unit in the country or even the Big Ten. But while he was not doing that, he found several plays to praise.
“We weren’t looking at the score, but there was effort,” he said. “There’s one play Josh Fryar’s running 50 yards down field. There’s a couple plays where Tegra’s (Tshabola) taking somebody and finishing them into the ground. Seth McLaughlin was on the second level finishing guys. On the throw to Jeremiah (Smith) where he turned and ran away from everybody, Josh Simmons is finishing somebody at the sideline. There is encouragement out of that group.”
Great teams have unsung and unnoticed heroes. Most of the transfer portal attention has been paid to Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs. But McLaughlin’s move from Alabama and into an offensive line leadership role at center is no less than equally important.
“He’s been a pro – calms everything down,” Day said. “When Coach (Justin) Frye or myself are barking at them, he just has a calming presence that we got it, that we’ll get this straightened out. That’s what you want to hear as a coach.”
The defense gets a similar boost from linebacker Cody Simon. He missed the first game with a minor injury, but he made an immediate impact with a sack on the first series Saturday.
“Bleeds Ohio State,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Tuesday. “There are so many more things that he gives the team aside from statistics. He brings a general confidence to everyone when he’s out there.”
The defense has already improved its depth and affirmed some of the depth that was already known.
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When Denzel Burke was ejected in the first quarter for targeting, sophomore Jermaine Mathews took over his cornerback position and no one noticed any drop off. Sophomore linebacker Arvell Reese is forcing his way onto the field as a playmaker. And defensive tackles Kayden McDonald and Hero Kanu are giving line coach Larry Johnson more freedom to rotate players up front.
The improvement on the field – present and future – cannot be separated from the improvement made to the coaching staff. It started when Day hired Knowles to make Ohio State known for defense again. Then he hired Chip Kelly in the offseason to run the offense.
The benefits of hiring Kelly have been twofold. We are being quickly reminded of Kelly’s stellar reputation for crafting high-scoring offenses by scheming to his players’ strengths. He is in the booth with his play sheets, notepad and iPad making defensive coaches defenseless.
With play calling and managing personnel groupings off Day’s to-do list, he is more locked in on every phase, every nuance, every emotion, every important decision in the game. Special teams play is better because he can be more involved and more demanding.
“Now I can just be myself and chase everybody around,” Day said. “I’ve enjoyed being with defense and being with the special teams and barking at everybody.”
Now he’s demanding the hardest of work during “The Improvement Week.”
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