Ohio State coach Ryan Day on the sidelines at Saturday’s Marshall University game. The Buckeyes went on to win 49-14. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor
Ohio State is officially headed into Big Ten play.
Across three non-conference games, the Buckeyes outscored their opponents — the University of Akron, Western Michigan University and Marshall University — by a total of 157-20.
It won’t be that easy anymore.
Ohio State is gearing up for its first road trip to East Lansing, Michigan for a Saturday clash with Michigan State.
Coach Ryan Day said he knows the team’s first Big Ten away game will be a challenge.
“This is new; you’re going on the road in a conference environment,” Day said. “I’m sure they’ll have a great crowd — night game, they’re playing good football.”
As the Buckeyes continue their week of practice, here are the three biggest upDAYtes from Day’s Tuesday press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Tyleik Williams and the depth at defensive tackle
Day said senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams will practice Tuesday as he works through an undisclosed injury that took him out of Saturday’s 49-14 win against Marshall.
Williams’ status for Saturday against Michigan State remains up in the air.
“When [Williams is] out there, he certainly makes his impact felt,” Day said.
On the other hand, the Buckeyes certainly felt Williams’ absence in the middle of their defensive line.
Day said he thinks there were some good plays on tape among Ohio State’s backups at defensive tackle, but he also sees room for improvement.
“I think it was a mixed bag,” Day said. “Do we want to see more consistent play? Yeah, we do.”
After dealing with the offensive line’s depth being tested through the preseason, Day is relying on the improvement of the defensive tackle room during Williams’ absence.
“When those guys do get in there, we’re counting on an adjustment to be made and some progress to be made there,” Day said.
State of the run game
Despite the interior defensive line’s uncertainty, one of the Buckeyes’ strongest assets is their tandem of running backs in junior Quinshon Judkins and senior TreVeyon Henderson.
Against Marshall, Judkins tallied 173 rushing yards — just 4 yards shy of his career high — and two touchdowns. Henderson added 76 yards on the ground and another pair of touchdowns.
Day said both running backs have been excellent, noting that they were named Ohio State’s “player[s] of the game” on offense. But more importantly, they’re also selfless on the field.
“When Quinshon [has] got a great run in front of the team, [Henderson] is cheering him on and vice versa,” Day said. “They know what a long season it is, and I think they both make each other better.”
Heading into Big Ten play, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and Ohio State will likely rely on this star duo even more. Day said he doesn’t want to get complacent, but feels encouraged by Judkins’ and Henderson’s accomplishments in the first three games.
“The way the running backs are running, you can feel that,” Day said. “That’s palatable when you’re out there, and so we gotta keep building on that.”
What’s going on at kicker?
Junior kicker Jayden Fielding didn’t have his best showing against Marshall Saturday.
Fielding booted three straight kickoffs out of bounds, drawing boos and penalties on each, which allowed the Thundering Herd to begin its offensive possession at the 35-yard line.
Both Day and Fielding were noticeably frustrated during the game, leading to backup senior kicker Austin Snyder taking on kicking duties in the second half.
Day said Fielding “tweaked something” early in the game and was unable to make an adequate adjustment.
“I just talked to him about his mindset, and he gave me some information just about a tweak that he had,” Day said. “He either has to make the correction or has to communicate to us that there was an issue.”
Day said he informed Fielding that the team is depending on him moving forward, also insisting that this “tweak” is nothing long term.
