Everyone just calm down. You’re forcing fury at the wrong person, Buckeye breath.
This mess isn’t on Luke Fahey, a freshman quarterback thrown into an untenable situation at Ohio State — and doing enough
to win games in one of the two best conferences in college football.
It’s on an offensive line that has underachieved all season. It’s on an experienced defense with NFL talent that should be seizing control of games, and hasn’t.
But the low-hanging fruit of frustration is the quarterback, because that’s the way it works in football. Too much praise, too much criticism — even after Ohio State’s 28-19 win over Northwestern on Saturday.
After Lahey’s first win as Ohio State's starting quarterback, merely the most high-profile job in college football. Get in there, kid. We’ve got games to win.
No matter the obstacles.
“This is the first time winning a game with our freshman quarterback, and it’s good to build some confidence after the last two weeks,” an exasperated Ohio State coach Ryan Day said moments after the Buckeyes snapped a two-game losing streak in front wildly loyal home fans who, at times, weren’t having it.
They booed the offense, they booed the defense. They booed the turnovers, they booed the officiating.
But understand this: No. 20 Ohio State isn’t out of the College Football Playoff race. There’s too much crazy still ahead in November, where teams tighten up amid the pressure, and dreams invariably fade.
Those who don’t wilt are those who have been there before, who have seen and dealt with everything — and know how to respond. Which is what makes Ohio State’s response to losing starting quarterback Julian Sayin last month so perplexing.
Instead of expecting a three-star freshman quarterback — a developmental recruit who was more depth than instant success — to pull you from the fire, Ohio State should’ve leaned on the lines of scrimmage to protect Lahey until he grew comfortable and gained confidence.
The offensive line struggled in pass protection in losses to USC and Oregon, and the defensive line failed to dictate tempo and keep Lahey and the offense from chasing points. They both got better against Northwestern, and Lahey continued to play smarter and more efficient.
They ran the offense through All-American wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (17 targets, 11 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD), and the run game had 168 yards — after getting 53 yards last week in a blowout home loss to Oregon. And more than anything, Lahey continued to grow with each repetition.
In a perfect world, the 5-star recruit who has been in the system since early 2025 should be playing quarterback right now. Should be stepping in for the Big Ten’s best quarterback, and the offensive regression shouldn’t be this obvious.
But there’s a reason Tavien St. Clair — a 6-4, 235-pound specimen of a quarterback — isn’t playing and Fahey is. Day believes Fahey gives Ohio State its best chance to win games.
And now Fahey is beginning to make plays to reward Day’s faith.
Fahey isn't polished, and no way near a finished product. But midway through the fourth quarter in yet another red zone situation, he read pressure, found Smith on a tough throw in the middle of the field — in the middle of traffic — for the game-sealing touchdown.
He’s a freshman, he still hasn’t seen defensive adjustments that he’s getting by the series ― not by the game. Still trying to absorb things he should be learning on the practice field, not during live action against the upper-half of the Big Ten.
He’ll have another big moment next week at Nebraska, against another difficult defense and in a loud environment where the Ohio State offensive line needs to help. Control the point of attack, protect, no pre-snap penalties that force long down-and-distance decisions.
Give Fahey every possible chance to help Ohio State win its last two games and hope chaos in front of it leads to the CFP.
“He’s just trying to get better,” Smith said of Fahey. “He has confidence now. He has to build on it.”
No matter the obstacles.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State fans want someone to blame. Luke Fahey is the wrong target
