The Ohio State football team celebrates after a touchdown during the No. 2 Ohio State-No. 13 Penn State game Oct. 29. Ohio State won 44-31. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
The No. 2 Ohio State football team went into the 2022 season with a lot of questions surrounding talent, toughness and gameplanning. After a 42-27 loss to Michigan at the end of last season — its first since 2011 — the Buckeyes missed out on both the Big Ten Championship game and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Head coach Ryan Day made it clear he was dissatisfied with last season’s results during Big Ten Media Days in July. During the offseason, Day placed a focus on game preparation while ensuring the Buckeyes maintain “competitive stamina” through the season.
“You have to continue to do what you’re doing and get better every week,” Day said. “We want to play at a high level. That’s the goal here, so again, really shouldn’t matter who we’re playing against. And the competitive stamina is exactly what we talked about at the beginning of the season, and we’ll continue to reiterate that.”
The Buckeyes new focus on maintaining competitive stamina comes after an offseason full of turnovers on both sides of the ball. Ohio State lost offensive weapons in former wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL, and Day brought in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State — alongside a slew of transfers — to overhaul a defense that ranked in the bottom half of the Big Ten in 2021.
Through nine games this season, the defense has vastly improved from a year ago. Ohio State ranks in the top 10 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring and total defense, averaging 15.6 points and 271.5 yards per game allowed.
Third-year safety Lathan Ransom said the team focuses on that competitive stamina and getting better each practice is ingrained in the culture.
“Competitive stamina, it’s been here since I’ve been here,” Ransom said. “This season we have really started working that and just embracing that into our culture. I think we’ve definitely seen a change and definitely trending upward from last year.”
Second-year defensive lineman Tyleik Williams said the team plays every game “like we’re playing in the championship,” and the Buckeyes’ mentality of competitive stamina has been ingrained into them by the coaches.
“Competitive stamina, making a play when your number is called,” Williams said. “Coach Day, he instills that every day, every practice, every team meeting.”
While the defense took massive strides forward, the Buckeyes offense remained the same, despite third-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba missing most of the season nursing a leg injury. Ohio State’s offense is No. 1 in the FBS by scoring over 45 points per game, while its 501.9 yards of offense per game leads the Big Ten.
Second-year wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are the primary reason the offense seamlessly filled the holes left behind by Wilson, Olave and Smith-Njigba. The duo has combined for 1,801 yards and 19 touchdowns, helping third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud to establish himself as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
However, third-year offensive lineman Luke Wypler said the team knows nothing is guaranteed. After two regular season losses in 2021, he said the Buckeyes treat each matchup “like we’re 0-0.”
“Something we learned last year is that you’re not guaranteed next week,” Wypler said. “We’re not guaranteed anything. The CFP rankings are great and all. We’re No. 2. They don’t mean anything right now until January, December, whenever that first game is.”
Day said he prepares the team to “bring it every week,” and the three things Ohio State is focused on are “toughness, discipline and skill.”
While the Buckeyes have lofty goals for the rest of this season, Egbuka said they must first accomplish a goal they missed last season.
“Every year we really have three goals, and the first goal is to beat the team up north,” Egbuka said. “We lost to them last year, so that’s always in the back of our minds. And we’re preparing for that game on an everyday basis, so we’re always focused on that game, and we’re ready to play.”
