Ohio State coach Ryan Day is unsatisfied with the Buckeyes’ special teams just over a month into the season.
“I don’t think I can sit here and say we’ve improved in special teams right now,” Day said on Oct. 6. “We need to play better.”
The most high-profile issue for the Buckeyes came in their early loss at Texas
when transfer kicker Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter that would have given them a two-score lead.
But Day’s concerns extend beyond the missed pressure-packed kick in September. He highlighted inconsistent punting and returns as well.
“Overall, when we look at the consistency of kicking field goals, not good enough,” Day said. “When we look at our return yards, we need to be better across the board.
And when we have an opportunity to pooch the ball inside the 10-yard line, that has to get done.”
All are areas for the Buckeyes to clean up following last week’s 31-14 win at Iowa.
Hawkins missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt during the second quarter when his kick hit the left upright. He has made all four attempts from inside 40 yards, but only one of three from longer distance – a contrast to last season at Baylor, when he made three field goals of at least 50 yards.
The first of Joe McGuire’s two punts traveled just 33 yards, allowing the Hawkeyes to signal for a fair catch at Ohio State’s 22-yard line.
And then there was a punt that wide receiver Phillip Bell elected not to field, allowing it to hit the turf at the Buckeyes’ 16-yard line, then roll to the 2-yard line.
“It’s a challenge to everybody in the program,” Day said. “We have to get better in all four phases of special teams.”
The Buckeyes shifted resources to special teams earlier this year when they hired Robby Discher away from Illinois.
Discher became Ohio State’s first dedicated special teams coordinator since 2023 after the staff used a committee approach the previous two seasons, assigning position coaches to individual units with mixed results.
Despite the persistent issues on special teams, Day didn’t single out Discher.
“It's not just Rob,” Day said. “Rob is the coordinator, so he's in charge, but I'm in every meeting, the coaches are in every meeting, and we need to make sure that we're getting better production out of the special teams.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football coach Ryan Day unsatisfied with several areas of special teams
