Marvin Harrison Jr. speaking to the media at Big Ten Media Day Wednesday. Photo Credit: Lauryn Luderman | Lantern Sports Editor
Scores that stick with the Ohio State football team: 45-23 Michigan and 42-41 Georgia.
Those are all the Buckeyes need to think about when searching for motivation this offseason.
“When you lose that, the last game of the regular season, it’s devastating. It is. And then you regroup,” head coach Ryan Day said. “You swing as hard as you can against Georgia and are a play or two short, again, one of those plays goes another way, we’re sitting here having a different conversation, but it didn’t.”
At Big Ten Media Day Wednesday, the two consecutive losses Ohio State faced against Michigan and Georgia to close out last year were a hot topic, but rather how can this team use those mistakes to improve moving forward into a new 2023 season.
Some of the biggest struggles apparent in both games were on the defensive side of the ball. Too many big plays were given up — 69-, 75-, 75- and 85-yard plays for touchdowns against the Wolverines and a 76-yard touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett in the College Football Semifinal against the Bulldogs.
Junior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau said the result of the Georgia game sparked motivation but also showed him what his team is capable of.
“Especially after that game, knowing how well and how much room there is to be great,” Tuimoloau said. “Having that and learning from it and just seeing how we did. I feel like the sky’s the limit, but you know, you just gotta take it one day at a time.”
The second-consecutive loss to Michigan is just as much of a reason to put it all out there this season.
“The Game” is a daily topic for Ohio State.
“It’s something we talk about a lot, but we’re not going to change what we do to prepare,” Day said. “There’s some things we talked about that we need to get done in that game.”
Junior receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. said in both games he felt like they were inches away from a victory. This year, he said he doesn’t want that to happen again.
“Even though there were some big plays, it’s really, we’re just inches away from making a tackle here, or getting a catch here — getting a first down there,” Harrison said. “But the one thing I haven’t done is beat that team up north and play in the Big Ten Championship, so for me, that’s my main focus going into the season.”
And going into the season they are. Fall training camp begins Aug. 3, and as a veteran team with a chip on their shoulder, the Buckeyes have been working on their bodies and aren’t taking a single game lightly with expectations through the roof, according to senior tight end Cade Stover.
“It’s a new season now, and at Ohio State, I mean you’re expected to win every single game, and that’s exactly how we like it and that’s exactly what we want,” Stover said.
Tuimoloau, Stover, Harrison and Day said leadership has been a big part of having a successful offseason and approaching the season, as there are 30 seniors and graduates on the roster.
“Being a leader, you know, just you have to always reiterate that, too,” Tuimoloau said. “Even though the coaches do, it also has to come from a player. I think it comes — it means more when it comes from a player’s standpoint and player’s point of view.”
This season, Ohio State has one of the best, if not the best, wide receiver cores in the country, along with a solid, five-man running back room. Also, the defense is in its second year with coordinator Jim Knowles and is a veteran, experienced group.
Day said to believe in the process. He said each year you learn, grow and build off the year before, and he expects his team to play at a high level right off the bat versus Indiana Sept. 2 after a productive training camp.
“Look at the experience we have coming back, the leadership, the coaching staff, our culture right now,” Day said. “Find a way to compete and win games and a team that’s going to play tough and compete at a high level — play with an edge, play fast.”
With 38 days and counting until kickoff against Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana, the Buckeyes are motivated and heading into the year with something to prove.
