Gene Smith called Ryan Day shortly after Urban Meyer had been placed on paid administrative leave. During that call, Gene told Ryan that he would be the acting head coach while Urban was away from the team. Ryan Day knew this team was still Urban's, but he also knew he had a job to do while Urban was gone. Ryan Day did that job and then some. He went 3-0, averaged 56 points per game, and beat a Top 15 team on
National Television.
Urban Meyer now resumes full control of the Ohio State
Buckeyes with 9 games remaining in the regular season. We have a cupcake this
week against Tulane who is currently 1-2 with losses to UAB and Wake Forest. In
2 weeks however, we have a night game at Penn State that will not be easy. Buckeye fans now turn to the big question, what will change now that Urban is back?
How will the transition from Ryan Day to Urban Meyer
look? Will we notice a change on the
field? Will Haskins start running the ball more?
In my opinion, I don’t think there will be any noticeable
changes. During his press conference on Tuesday, Urban said that he will be
more of a game manager this year, and less involved in the offense. He noted
that this is because of how well Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson have done calling
offensive plays. It was also reported that Ryan Day would be staying down on
the field calling plays. The fact that Ryan Day was in the booth last year
tells me that Urban loves what he has done, and doesn’t want to change much.
Under Ryan Day the Buckeyes have averaged 608 yards and 56 points per game. Last year Ohio State averaged 506 yards and 41.1 points per game. I have a feeling Urban loves how this team has looked so far. Like the old saying goes, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'
One thing I noticed during the TCU game was that when we
were losing we did not forget about our running backs. We were not forcing the
ball through the air, or making our QB run the ball an excessive amount of
times. We were still handing the ball off to our running backs, and playing our
game. Being down didn’t force us to abandon our game plan which is something that
has happened in recent years. Ryan Day has earned Urban Meyers trust, and that
should scare the crap out every team remaining on our schedule.
Through three games, Dwyane Haskins has only ran the ball 7
times, which is about 2.3 times per game. Last year JT Barrett was running the
ball 11.7 times per game. I think the coaching staff realizes that Haskins is a
completely different player than JT. JTs greatest strength were his legs, and
it was obvious that the coaching staff knew that and used that to their
advantage. The same thing can be said about Dwayne Haskins. His strength is
clearly his arm, and through 3 games its pretty obvious that the coaches are
using that to our advantage.
By the end of last year a lot of people were growing annoyed
by how often we ran our QB. I think the coaching staff was simply using the
strength of a player to their advantage. It is because of that I don’t expect
us to over use Haskins legs like we did with JT. Our coaching staff recognizes
that we have a QB with a great arm, and two very good RBs. We have been and
will continue to use those strengths to our advantage to win a lot of games
this year.
Lindsay - JK Dobbins, that intensity and stare at the end of the game was my absolute favorite! ! Haskins kicked butt, but JK has my heart #sorrynotsorry :)
Jane - DeeWayne Haskins
Chuck - Dobbins
Chris - Dwayne Haskins Jr. - Look… I get the Dobbins love and he deserves credit for his work but Dwayne owned that game.
Dobbins takes it in a close one!
tOSU O-line MVP
WVa - Chuck taking over awards again . . . how did this line get this good this quick without Ed?
Scott - Anyone but Michael Jordan
Diana - I agree with Chuck.
Lindsay - That entire line gets my vote, that's why we're a team!!
Jane - What great slobs we have!
Chuck - The whole line-Only one sack given up against a top, stunting defense? That’s how you do it.
Chris - As much as I would like to pick out one offensive lineman and amaze you with all my football knowledge about pin and pull, handling stunts, etc … I'm going to take the easy way out and agree with Chuck. The line did a great job once they settled in.
The entire offensive line takes the cake
tOSU Offensive Unsung
WVa - PC is my guy, he’s unsung for sure. That play changed the game
Scott - Parris Campbell Jr.
Diana - Parris!
Lindsay - Parris definitely made a huge play when we needed it most. I also want to give respect to Brian Hartline for not giving up on Austin Mack, who came through with some catches later in the second half that will catapult his confidence into the next game, instead of deflating him.
Jane - PC
Chuck - See earlier comments about the line.
Chris - Since I didn't bow to peer pressure and give Dobbins the Offensive MVP, I am morally obligated to put his name here.
Parris Campbell wins hands down
Offensive Top Play
WVa - See unsung. This play changed the game
Scott - Parris Campbell Jr TD
Diana - Parris ✌ Was it me or was he mocking the TCU fans with their “air quotes” instead of a peace sign? Haha!
Lindsay - Parris TD ... and yes Diana, I loved that, haha!!!
Jane - Pass to KJ HILL leading to a beautiful TD …. almost gave him the ‘unsung hero’ award!
Chuck - Haskins finally (!) pulling the ball and running in for the TD.
Chris - The TD pass to K.J. Hill was my favorite play of the night. Not because of any incredible action by either Haskins or Hill but because of the play call. It was masterful. I won't make you read all the boring reasons why I loved it but it was my favorite play call of the season so far.
Back to backs for Parris Campbell
Defensive
tOSU Defensive MVP
WVa - Dre’Mont “it’s not a big boy TD” Jones
Scott - Dre’Mont Jones
Diana - Sack Daddy Jones
Lindsay - D Jones slayed that game!!!!! The way these “brothers" picked up the slack left by Bosa’s injury showed the absolute togetherness of this team and why they call it a brotherhood , love it!!!
Jane - Dre’Mont, baby!
Chuck - D. Jones
Chris - This is difficult… The defense, overall, did not play as badly as the numbers would make you think they did. I was really impressed with how Jordan Fuller played overall. Arnette wasn't as bad as it seemed based on a play or two. Malik Harrison, also better than some want you to believe. Dre’Mont Jones was an absolute monster. TL;DR I don't know… Just pick one for me, Hunt. - Dre'Mont it is Mr. Drake!!!
Dre’Mont, Dre’Mont, DRE’MONT
tOSU D-line MVP
WVa - Nicki B and it isn’t close. Several players had to step up after he was lost
Scott - Nick Bosa
Diana - Baby Bosa/Sack Daddy
Lindsay - Bosa at the beginning and D Jones picked up where he left off...we are so blessed to see this line wearing scarlet and gray!!!
Jane - Several players really did step up after he was out...but, NB for me!
Chuck - Jones
Chris - Had Bosa played the entire game, he gets this easy. Since he didn't and DRE’MONT JONES IS A GROWN-ASS MAN… Dre gets it for me.
Grown a$$ man Dre’Mont Jones
tOSU Defensive Unsung
WVa - Tuf Borland because he didn’t play the whole game and it showed at times
Scott - Damon Arnett
Diana - Shaun Wade
Lindsay - Wade for me too D, he needs to be playing the whole game ... his ceiling is so high!
Jane - Tuff Borland. He is a beast.
Chuck - S. Wade
Chris - Malik Harrison had a pretty solid game. Caused a lot of disruptions that don't show up in the stat sheet.
tOSU Defensive Top Play
WVa - Crazy good right place right time and Werner gets the assist for getting to Robinson
Scott - Dre’Mont Jones TD
Diana - Dre’Mont’s audition for Zone 6
Lindsay - D Jones INT
Jane - Dre’
Chuck - Rumble, big man, rumble
Chris - Dre'Mont's audition for the Piesman Trophy.
Dre’Mont rumblin, stumblin bumblin’(that use to be a thing somewhere hmmmmm)
Odds and Ends
tOSU Special Teams MVP
WVa - ugggghhhh . . . Liam because Drue wouldn’t have as much time to do so well punting
Scott - Entire punt and kick coverage team
Diana - Special Teams all around.
Lindsay - it was a great day for our special teams
Jane - Saunders
Chuck - Liam McCullough. Duh.
Chris - I see Chuck is stealing my McCullough thunder. I've been on the Liam bandwagon for 2 years and I'm not making any room for someone else to join me. Yes, any time that they don't mention the longsnapper’s name, he is the MVP.
Liam Bloody McCullough?
tOSU Needs Improvement
WVa - Stop cheating Chuck, LB play has to improve. Missing wide open gaps is a problem
Scott - Center snap
Diana - fix those low snaps!
Lindsay - low snaps for sure
Jane - Austin Mack needs to hang on to the ball . and those ever so low snaps.
Chuck - Linebacker play
Chris - Can Dre’Mont snap the ball?
The snaps
tOSU Next Big Star
WVa - Jordan Fuller is important to the success of this D and he will be big soon
Scott - Terry McLaurin
Diana - K.J. Hill
Lindsay - Wade’s upside is undeniable
Jane - Ryan Day
Chuck - Shaun Wade
Chris - K.J. Hill Enjoy him this year because I don't think he'll be back.
K.J. Hill got it going on
Fun Stuff
Best Celebration
WVa - Dre needs to be Gif’d
Scott - After Dre’Mont Jones’ TD rumble
Diana - Dre’Mont TD
Lindsay - the offense throwing up OHIO to the crowd after JK’s stare down ... gave me chills!!! Despite the fact the crowd didn't reciprocate, the love and intensity of our team matters most!!!
Jane - Dre’Mont pushing people out of the way to get into the end zone. Made me laugh everytime I watched it.
Chuck - BB Landers at the end of the game
Chris - Me going absolutely nuts in my living room on the Jones pick 6. I was so excited that I didn't have a single sound come out of my mouth. It was just jumping and flailing all around the upstairs.
We need a Gif of Chris Drake’s celebration . . .
Worst Celebration
WVa - definitely the first ever mediocre O-H-I-O in another teams stadium ever
Scott - Fans unable to complete an O H I O
Diana - The dumb ass “air quotes.”
Lindsay - disappointed in our fans lack of OHIO, but that dumb horn takes the cake
Jane - Fog horn, leg horn.
Chuck - Stupid frog train horn
Chris - When the Ohio State players on the field were trying to get the fans to start the O H I O chant and it was just nothing. I was more disappointed in the fans, in that moment, than I was during Tennessee Jeff's rally.
O-H-I-O?
Best Officiating Call
WVa - Scott nails this one. I’ve been in that situation before and for those guys to be looking AT the play was huge.
Scott - Illegal forward pass on kick
Diana - No targeting call was fair.
Lindsay - forward lateral
Jane - Thank GOD for the illegal forward pass call on the run back. Laying down in the end zone ... ridiculous.
Chuck - No targeting on the TCU kid who made incidental contact
Chris - The illegal forward pass was incredibly easy but the booth guy gets it for reversing the targeting call.
Illegal mojo on the forward pass on the kickoff, the funnier part about the call is the unsporting that wasn’t called against the kid laying down in the scarlet and gray endzone then being shown on the big screen!
Worst Officiating Call
WVa - this ACC crew lacked the ability to be consistent and both teams felt it but OSU specifically with the below missed calls
Scott - Missed hold on play Bosa was injured
Diana - 2 PI and the hold on Bosa for sure
Lindsay - I echo D’s response
Jane - Multiple PI non calls.
Chuck - Most of the lack of pass interference on TCU’s DBs
Chris - The lack of a pass interference flag on the pass to Dixon in the end zone made me so mad that I woke up about 4:00 a.m. today yelling about it.
Lack of being able to call a single DPI against TCU and butchering an OPI that should have been called against them.
TV: ESPN - Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor
Radio: 97.1 WBNS The Fan - Paul Keels, Jim Lachey, Matt Andrews
8:00pm
All-time Buckeyes lead 4-1-1
Headline - Horned Frog fans Think they have home field advantage
What will the atmosphere in AT&T be like for this long awaited match-up? What do you believe the crowd will be larger for and why?
Abe Froman - Technically they are closer to being a home team than we are, but it is only because Patterson didn’t have the sack to complete a home and home. Neutral field? Sure it is, but Buckeyes travel well and of course will surprise the Frog faithful. My guess is a 50/50 crowd that inevitably will hear O-H-I-O reverberate once again in Jerry’s house.
RyanInCbus - I believe it will be a “home away from home” game for the Buckeyes. We'll be wearing our gorgeous road whites, but the crowd will be anything but. The electricity from thr crowd will be clear to us watching on TV.
Ohio State D versus TCU O
What do you think of these units head to head and who has the advantage?
-
Abe Froman - The only real concern I have here is the linebackers as they are young. Borland should be at 100% after receiving some PT last weekend, so Werner and Harrison will be flying around. Look for TCU to employ bubble screens and misdirection to slow down the pass rush. I really think this is a Dremont and BB Landers game as they will be free to collapse on the screens. Definite edge to the Bucks here.
RyanInCbus - Nick Bosa and company will be well prepared to demolish this TCU offense. The speed and power on defense will be too much for their small offensive line to manage.
Ohio State O Versus TCU D
Same question as above but with a twist, who has the advantage here and also who is more likely to struggle due to inexperience?
Abe Froman - Well, this is as easy as a big 320 lb lineman leaning all over a 260 lb defensive lineman. In fact, this won’t materialize until midway through the 3rd period as the adrenaline fades following half-time. The running game will then be dominant. What I really want to watch is how the passing game of the Bucks plays against a better D than we have seen. GP will surely try to disguise some coverages which may force a turnover. Hopefully Haskins checks down instead of releasing quickly. He will have to do this later in the season, so lets start now with Penn State coming up..
RyanInCbus - Buckeyes offensive line should be able to control the game. They should be able to open up huge gaps for the dynamic duo of Weber and Dobbins to run through.
The Ryan Day Factor
Ryan Day has had one of the best starts to his career as a head coach(active) and has one more opportunity before the boss returns full-time. What are your thoughts on what he has done while Urban Meyer has been away and what seems to be his best quality?
Abe Froman - What do you practice for if you are TCU? Do you plan on the Zone read? RPO? Or the pro style Day seems to have employed over the last couple of weeks? Day is a bit of mystery which is an advantage for the Bucks. But don’t look for him to change up things much, as this style is what they have employed and I look for them to stick with it. I think Day has done an A+ job managing the distractions and averaging 60+ points a game so far.
RyanInCbus - Ryan Day will be a head coach next season. He's done a phenomenal job captaining the ship for Urban.
Final Thoughts - Offensive firepower versus Offensive firepower
Two offenses that are playing some pretty good football to start the season, which one stays to form and which one folds? If it’s neither then why is this destined to be a shootout?
Abe Froman - I think a shootout is doubtful with the OSU defensive line. They won’t be able to establish a run which means they will pass, pass, and QB scramble. Both teams may run 70 plays, but the scoring will be lower than the plays indicate. I look for a 42-17 type of score with the Bucks on top.
RyanInCbus - TCUs offense is going to have a tough go against the Buckeyes D line. If the LB play improves, like I think it will, the D line pressure on their QB will cause scrambles galore allowing the Lbs to feast.
PREDICTION
Who will be the offensive and defensive stars?
Abe Froman - Offensively, Mike Weber should shine in the second half as he gets to the second level of defense steadily. On the defensive side, watch for Kendall Sheffield to get better and better and score another pick.
RyanInCbus - offensively, Dobbins. He's returning to Texas and he's going to show out. Defensively, Nick Bosa will continue to show why he's the future No. 1 draft pick.
The Shoe, Columbus, Ohio TV: BTN ;Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen and Rick Pizzo.
Radio: 97.1 WBNS The Fan - Paul Keels, Jim Lachey, Matt Andrews
3:30pm Last Time Out: THE OSU 77 osu 31; Rutgers 35 Texas State 7 All Time Series: OSU 4 -0
Headline - Game Two for Acting Head Coach Ryan Day
There probably won't be another opportunity for Ryan Day quite like last Saturdays against a very bad Oregon State team, but here it comes in the form of first conference foe of the season in an improved Rutgers team under the direction of former Buckeye and Urban Meyer protege Chris Ash.
Day's own Protege Dwayne Haskins set new records for first time starting QB's at Ohio State in yardage and TD's last Saturday in the total destruction of some horrible Beavers from the left coast. In his first tryout as a head coach(acting) Day did not disappoint. He mostly turned his offense loose and was probably going to have Haskins sit for the second half until the defense let Oregon State keep them honest.
The Buckeyes offense should again score at will this Saturday in The Shoe. Rutgers is a much improved team but they still aren't built for the long hall in the East of the B1G. They are keeping some athletes home in NJ but need to expand their reach and steal some from other B1G schools to handle the competition.
Day will more than likely stick to the same game plan, meaning no called runs for DH even though he said that he can be a running QB. Who knows, maybe Urban Meyer has told him to not run him until he fully comes back against Tulane. We will know for sure by 4ish on Saturday.
Ohio State O Versus Rutgers D
Ohio State D Versus Rutgers O
Last Time They Met
Final Thoughts - One Down Two to Go
One game down without Urban Meyer and two to go including next weeks tussle in Texas against TCU. His return to the practicing lines this past week had to mean a lot to the staff and the players.
One thing is for sure, everyone is feeling very fortunate to still have him around and I am sure that being involved in game planning has improved his mental and physical well being. It will be interesting to see if we get the Ryan Day philosophical approach this Saturday or if some of coach Meyer is there.
We have definitely been sent the message he is actively involved in the defense just with some of the staffing moves that have happened this week.
Weather: 86 degrees - 40% chance of rain later in the afternoon
TV: ABC
Line: Ohio State -38.5
History: Ohio State 2-0 (Ohio State won the last meeting in 1984, 22-14)
2017 Oregon State Record: 1-11
Oregon State's Record: 0-0
Who is Oregon State's head Coach?
Jonathan Smith.
He will be making his head-coaching debut against Ohio State. Smith spent the last four seasons calling plays at Washington. In his first two years, Washington went 8-6 and 7-6, but the last two years Washington has moved to the top of the Pac 12. In 2016, Washington went 12-2 and went to the playoffs. The Huskies had another great year in 2017 going 10-3 which helped Smith secure a head coaching.
Although Oregon State may have had a rough year last year, I expect them to be a lot better this year with a big culture change. Who are Oregon State's Impact Players? Quarterback:
Jake Luton (lue-ton)
Luton is a big 6-foot-6 QB. He initially committed to Idaho out of high school but transferred to Oregon State after his freshman year. Luton started the first four games last year before suffering a season ending injury (thoracic spine fracture) against Washington State. In the fourth quarter he scrambled on 3rd and 10, was hit very hard by the safety and was not moving for several minutes. He was eventually left on a stretcher and spent some time in the hospital.
Before his injury he threw for 853 yards, and completed 61.5 percent of his passes, while throwing four TDs, and four INTs.
Running Back:
Artavis Pierce was the backup last year and only ran for 323, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He was a three star RB out of Florida with scholarship offers to Oregon State, Arizona, Bowling Green, and Central Michigan.
Wide Recievers:
The Starters...
Timmy Hernandez #18 (6-0 - senior - 3 Star CB)
Isaiah Hodgins #17 (6-4 - sophomore - 4 Star WR)
Travon Bradford #8 (6-0 - junior - 3 Star WR)
Keep an eye on Hodgins as many Beaver fans expect him to step up and become the primary receiving threat this year. Hodgins and Hernandez were both top three for the Beavers last year in receptions. While Hodgins might not have burner speed, he is very big, and can go up and get balls over the DBs.
My Prediction...
Under a new coach, I expect Oregon State to come out with a lot of fight. That should die down pretty fast though when Ohio State gets the ball, and drives down the field to score at ease. The Buckeyes will cruise to victory, and we will get a heavy dose of backups in the fourth quarter.
