A Long Road to Glory: Ryan Day’s Offense Struggles in Ohio State’s Spring Showcase
Columbus, Ohio —Long before kickoff on Saturday afternoon, the energy of college football’s first nationally televised spring game permeated Ohio Stadium. A DJ was spinning carefully chosen music on the field, as throngs of recruits shook hands with the Buckeyes coaches. Numerous well-known former players were milling about the sidelines, while FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt gave a motivational speech on the television boards.
Over 80,000 spectators gathered at The Horseshoe to witness the first glimpse of a much awaited team in a much awaited season for head coach Ryan Day, who can not afford many mistakes, if any, following three straight losses to Michigan. In a pregame interview, Day sent Klatt a message that was prophetic: the goal of this season is to “defeat the team up north and win a national title.”
On the surface, it appears that the Buckeyes have what it takes to make that kind of run. Ohio State’s incredible depth at the skill positions and overall talent on defense were on full display during Saturday’s spring game, which featured a modified scoring system and matched the offense against the defense. The fact that Day and his team decided not to challenge the first stringers did not lessen the excitement in Columbus.
The Scarlet (offense) defeated the Gray (defense) 34–33 in the afternoon’s finish, however the final score barely reflected the events that took place. As long as the first and second units were on the field, the defense won this year’s spring game. There is still work to be done on the offensive and another quarterback competition to resolve.
Three key lessons from the game are as follows:
Quarterback roulette
There was still some doubt as to which quarterback Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly would choose as the starter, if only temporarily, as Saturday’s spring game’s kickoff drew near. Would it be the well-known Kansas State transfer Howard? Or would it be Devin Brown, Kyle McCord’s backup last season and the most seasoned returner?
Howard was the first to get the go-ahead when the offense strolled onto the field for the first play. His 6-foot-4, 237-pound bulk undoubtedly gave him the appearance of an experienced and mature signal-caller. As Kelly rotated his players during the game, Brown, sophomore Lincoln Kienholz, and true freshman Julian Sayin also saw action with the first unit.
With 1:33 left in the second quarter, Brown found wide receiver Brennen Schramm to provide the first touchdown on a dismal afternoon for the offense. In a modified scoring format, the hookup gave Ohio State’s offense a 1-point advantage over the defense. Along with 24 yards gained on the ground, Brown also contributed some excellent gains with his legs on quarterback runs, an element of the playbook Day says he expects to employ regardless of who wins the job.
The audience let out an audible gasp when wide receiver Emeka Egbuka capped his corner route with a stunning one-handed grab, setting off Howard’s biggest play of the game. Following the completion, Ohio State’s offense gained possession of the ball close to the 20-yard line. However, three of Howard’s subsequent passes into the end zone were incomplete: one to Egbuka and two to star freshman Jeremiah Smith.
Here’s how each quarterback performed:
Howard — 9-of-13 for 77 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs
Brown — 5-of-7 for 66 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs
Sayin — 9-of-15 for 77 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
Dominant defense
Ohio State’s outstanding player retention throughout the summer, particularly on the defensive end of the ball, was one of the main narratives from Day and his staff. Coordinator Jim Knowles was given one of the most talented nuclei in college football when starting players JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Denzel Burke, Tyleik Williams, Ty Hamilton, and Lathan Ransom decided to come back for another year after concluding the 2023 campaign ranked third nationally in total defense (265.4 yards per game). This explains why, over the team’s fifteen spring sessions, the defense has supposedly surpassed the offense for the Buckeyes.
This pattern continued on Saturday as the defense, with the team’s best quarterbacks and most seasoned players on the field, caused turnover after turnover and stymied drive after drive. Against an Ohio State offensive line that was lackluster for the majority of the previous season but lost just one starter, right guard Matt Jones, Knowles’ third-down blitz package proved especially disruptive. The Buckeyes have two proven Big Ten edge rushers in Sawyer and Tuimoloau. Knowles is faster and more athletic in the middle of the field than linebackers Cody Simon, C.J. Hicks, and Sonny Styles, who switched from safety.
All of which made it easier for a secondary that recorded six more pass breakups and three interceptions over the first three quarters, when all key contributors were substituted out. The best play of the afternoon was made by safety Jaylen McClain, who intercepted Sayin and ran a long way down the left sideline to return the interception for a touchdown.
Finally coming to life and taking the lead, Ohio State’s offense did not show signs of life until the latter part of the third quarter. However, most of the players on the field at that point were backups and freshmen.
Impact freshman
There was a reason why, when speaking to the local media at his yearly press conference to highlight the incoming recruits, Day pretended to collapse during the early signing period. In real time, Day had just received word that Ohio State had secured the commitment of wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the top-ranked recruit overall in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, following last-minute pressure from other suitors.
Smith arrived at Ohio State with a reputation as perhaps the best prospect at his position in over 20 years. He was 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, and he had a combination of speed, agility, and body control that would make some of the best receivers in college football envious. The athlete who is most frequently considered as Smith’s opponent for that distinction is former Alabama standout Julio Jones, a five-star recruit from the 2008 class.
Due to the departures of wide receivers Julian Fleming (Penn State) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (NFL Draft), there were plenty of reps available for the returners in a loaded receiving corps. With rising sophomore Carnell Tate (18 catches, 264 yards, 1 TD) backing him, Egbuka could ascend to the No. 1 slot after collecting 41 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns in an injury-shortened campaign last season. It appears that Smith is not far behind.
Smith was getting reps with the starting offense on Saturday in less than a fourth of the time, and it was clear how diverse his skill set was. Even when the passes fell incomplete, he displayed agility and aerial ability to spread the field vertically and produced a sure-handed catch with the defender in his air space. He attempted to return punts with his hands while carrying the ball around.
The hype, it seems, is real.