Similar to the team practicing with loud speakers to simulate crowd noise during a road game, Day said the team practiced inside an empty Ohio Stadium for the second time Saturday to simulate what gameday will be like in 2020. With an atmosphere that will lack more than 100,000 fans each Saturday after the Big Ten decided to not allow spectators, the players stressed the importance of bringing their own energy.
Day said that he got the idea to hold practice in Ohio Stadium from New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who said that playing in an empty stadium reminded him of practice.
“It made me think, why don’t we just practice in The ‘Shoe because that’s what it’s going to be like during the game,” Day said Friday in a Zoom call. “We can’t say ‘Well, we’ve never been in that type of environment before’, well we have.”
Although practicing for the unusual situation will be advantageous for all the players, Day said it is important to create an environment similar to a game for the younger, more inexperienced players.
With the lack of nonconference games, Day said that it will be hard to know what to expect out of the players without a body of work on the field.
“We’re trying to put them in the stadium. We’re trying to put them in the live situations. We’re trying to put them in game situations the best we possibly can, so we can project,” Day said.
Junior quarterback Justin Fields agreed with this sentiment saying that practicing in Ohio Stadium will help the team feel much more comfortable in that unfamiliar environment.
Fields said that the empty stands won’t affect him that much due to his typical gameday demeanor, which he described as more mellow compared to his teammates.
“Last year before the games, I wouldn’t really get hyped. I’m more of an even-keeled guy,” Fields said. “I would listen to slower music, rather than pump up music just to keep my mind calm.”
The Ohio State football team lines up on the yard line for sprints during fall practice on Oct.3. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Assistant Photo Editor
However, Fields recognized the challenges that playing in front of no fans may have on some guys on the team, especially players in high-contact positions like on the offensive line or on the defense.
“It is going to have an effect on other people,” Fields said. “But it’s our job to make sure we create energy throughout the team and have energy when we play.”
As for one of Fields’ favorite targets in 2019, junior Chris Olave said that the team will need to provide some of the energy spectators could usually provide.
Acknowledging that the energy must be there for both the defense and offense, Olave said he feels the team will be ready to provide it once the season starts.
“I know a lot of players feed off the crowd’s energy, but we’ve got to bring our own energy and we bring it a lot in practice,” Olave said Thursday in a Zoom call.
Day said that the Big Ten is yet to release a plan as to how games are going to look in regards to if they will allow teams to pipe in crowd noise or music during game action. However, the Buckeyes piped in crowd noise and music during practice on Saturday.
“We’re going to try to replicate that the best we can, but we know it’s not like playing in front of over 100,000 people every week,” Day said. “So we’re going to have to bring our own energy. When you run out of that tunnel, it’s going to be a different feel, but like I said to the guys, ‘You just have to know Buckeye nation –– even though they’re not there in the stadium –– they’re with you.”
For players in their final season, Day said that in spite of fans not being allowed to be present at the games, it’s still a great feeling that those players will get an opportunity to play in Ohio Stadium again.
“There was a time there where we didn’t think that was gonna happen and that was heartbreaking. The hardest thing to deal with was thinking that those guys weren’t going to have that opportunity,” Day said Sept. 17 on “The Ryan Day Show” on 97.1 The Fan. “It’s gonna be strange not having that stadium full, but you can see the NBA doing it and the NFL doing it and that’s just gonna be the way it is this year. We’re gonna adapt and as long as it’s the same for everybody then we’re gonna do everything we can to win.”
