Ahead of the Huskies’ biggest home game in quite some time, I caught up with SB Nation’s Ohio State blog, Land Grant Holy Land and Matt Tamanini kindly answered a few of my questions about the Buckeyes
football program!
MS: This is year 7 for Ryan Day at the helm of the Buckeyes. It’s been a very successful tenure, with a National Championship victory last year and a repeat very likely based on early returns this season. What do you like about the way Day runs his program and what do you think can be done better?
MT: We at Land-Grant Holy Land have been pretty critical of Ryan Day’s handling of big games throughout his tenure as OSU’s head coach, especially the rivalry games against Michigan. The issue was never Day’s ability to coach or prepare his team, but rather getting over the mental hurdles that seemingly rendered him a completely different coach than he was against other opponents.
Gone was the creative, aggressive philosophy that Buckeye fans had gotten used to. Instead, Day often opted for a safer, more conservative approach that focused more on trying to prove his team’s toughness, rather than relying on the explosiveness that had gotten them to where they were.
However, following last November’s fourth-straight loss to Michigan, we have seen a different version of Day. He seems more confident not only in his team but in himself and the program that he has built. The five-game stretch that included last year’s College Football Playoff and this year’s season opener against then-No. 1 Texas was the version of Ryan Day that we have always known was there, but weren’t always sure we were going to get in big games.
Of course, we realize that no coach or program is going to win every marquee matchup, but it feels like Day has turned the corner in his development as a head coach. He has always been excellent at the schematics of the game, and I truly believe that he is a genuinely decent human being – he spends a lot of his off time working with mental health causes.
So, while it is a fanbase’s obligation to nitpick their favorite teams’ coaches, I think we have finally reached the best version of Ryan Day, and I am excited to see what that looks like for a full season.
MS: Brian Hartline and Keenan Bailey run the Buckeye offense, led by Freshman quarterback Julian Sayin. Sayin is set up with perhaps the best receiver situation in the country, with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Who are the other weapons on this offense, and what does Ohio State do well schematically?
MT: With all due respect to Keenan Bailey, I’m not sure that he has that much impact on the Ohio State offense, despite the “Co-offensive coordinator” title. The other coach that I think is really helping shape the Buckeye offense alongside Brian Hartline (and Ryan Day, of course) is new offensive line coach and run game coordinator Tyler Bowen.
He was Virginia Tech’s offensive coordinator last season, and brings an important balance to the coaching staff, since both Day and Hartline come with a passing-game background.
But in terms of players, Ohio State has been utilizing its tight ends far more this season than in recent memory. While they have been fairly evenly distributing the TE targets through three games, Purdue transfer Max Klare is still considered the top playmaking tight end, but don’t underestimate Will Kacmarek and Jelani Thurman. Having reliable tight ends is a huge benefit when you also have a first-time starting quarterback.
From there, the Buckeyes are still figuring out their backfield rotation, but true-freshman Bo Jackson has recently looked like the best of the bunch. He still needs to show improvement in pass protection and maybe a little bit of ball security, but in terms of turning any carry into a big game, he’s the one to watch out for.
And, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk a little bit about Julian Sayin. He spent all of last year learning behind Will Howard and working with Ryan Day and Chip Kelly, so even though he is a redshirt freshman, he comes in with a five-star pedigree and a year and a half in the program.
He hasn’t been perfect through three games, but he’s been about as close as you could hope for. He leads the country in completion percentage (78.9%), is third in QBR (199.76), and fourth in yards per attempt (11). He has shown expert-level decision-making and incredible accuracy, which (we hope) will only improve as he gets more starts and snaps under his belt.
MS: Matt Patricia coordinates the defense. What has he brought over from his NFL experience and what do you like about this defense?
MT: I admit that I was suspicious about the Matt Patricia hire when it was announced, given that, since leaving Bill Belichick’s staff, he doesn’t exactly have a tremendous track record. However, I have been proven wrong.
The Buckeyes’ defense was No. 1 in the country last season, but lost nearly all of its starters, and yet, I think they might actually be better this year. What Patricia has done is bring a creativity that we haven’t seen in Columbus… potentially ever. And to be completely honest, one that you don’t see in college football very often.
Patricia has begun utilizing defensive concepts that are far more familiar to NFL defenses than to colleges. He has brought far more position versatility and morphing alignments to the Buckeye defense this season, meaning that it is increasingly difficult for opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators to diagnose exactly what types of pressure and coverage they are bringing.
While he has maintained the base 4-2-5 base from recent seasons, he has been doing more to build flexibility off of it. Safety Caleb Downs is being used all over the field, even moving up into traditional nickel and linebacker spots at various times. The dynamic linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese are also able to move up and play edge rusher spots or drop in coverage, making it difficult for offenses to scheme up mismatches.
MS: How far do you see Ohio State going this year and do you see a repeat on the cards?
MT: Look, I am an Ohio State alum who is the son of two Ohio State alums. I predict them to go undefeated and win the national title every year. Fortunately for me, nothing that I have seen through the first three games of the season has led me to reconsider that prediction.
MS: It’s time for a score prediction! What will the score be in this clash in Seattle?
MT: I know a lot of experts think that this will be a close game, and it well might be. But I believe that the Buckeye defense is strong enough to limit Demond Williams Jr. more than his first three opponents have. Now, I don’t think that they are going to shut the Husky offense down completely, but I do think that Patricia and company will have a few more answers than Colorado State, UC Davis, and Washington State did.
In addition, I think that the OSU offense just has too many weapons for the UW defense to contain. Also, Ryan Day is 6-0 coming off of bye weeks as the Buckeyes’ head coach, so while I imagine that the home-field advantage at Husky Stadium will have an impact, having the extra week to prepare might help counter that at least a little bit.
So, while I reserve the right to modify my pick up until we release them on LandGrantHolyLand.com on Saturday morning, currently, I am going with Ohio State 35, Washington 17.
