I admit that this article might make me a bit of a hypocrite, but I’m willing to accept that in order to advocate for the kicks and giggles. Before the season started, I wrote about how I was excited to be nervous watching Ohio State football games this fall. I wanted games that required emotional investment beyond wondering when the backups would get on the field; I wanted to go into a Saturday with more on the line than whether the Buckeyes covered the 82.5-point spread. And, don’t get me wrong,
I still do, even if the second half in Austin suggested that I don’t respondespecially well to stressful football games.
But before the Buckeyes embark on six games that will undoubtedly grant my wish for more than my fair share of Saturday stress, I would like them to enjoy this one last afternoon of cupcake competition. It’s Homecoming, a team OSU has never lost to is in town, my brother and niece will be in the stands, and Ohio State has an opportunity to win a football game while doing some useful, but also entertaining, things along the way.
With all due respect to the Fighting Turtles of College Park, this will be the final game on OSU’s schedule where they could run out their second and third teams and still win by multiple touchdowns. Obviously, the Terrapins are going to show up and play their hearts out; Ohio State still has to show up and execute, or something funky could happen, but this is a game designed for the Buckeyes to go a little crazy.
Give some guys the day off. Give some other guys a chance to play. Give the fans something to talk about beyond whether or not it’s best to leave before or during the third quarter in order to beat the traffic on 670. This is the only home game during Spooky Season, and it’s a 4:15 p.m. kickoff, which makes me think someone at the league office completely forgot it was happening until all of the normal windows were full. This game is ideal for the Buckeyes to let a little loose and get weird.
As of Friday night, Brandon Inniss, Christian Alliegro, Phillip Daniels, and Khary Wilder are all listed as doubtful. Coach Day, I know you often take my advice to heart, so give those guys a break. Given what the next three (hell, the next six) games look like, there’s no reason to have anyone who is even slightly beaten up putting their bodies on the line in a game where you are favored by five touchdowns.
We all appreciate toughness, but I would appreciate having as many healthy Buckeyes as possible available for the trip to Bloomington next week even more. You get no bonus points in the Big Ten standings or in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee for having banged-up starters gut it out against Maryland when a perfectly capable teammate could do the job just fine.
This is a perfect chance for those capable teammates to get on the field while the game is still technically on the line. The Buckeyes have admittedly done a pretty good job of working in younger talent this season, but leaning on the emerging players when meaningful snaps are still aplenty can teach coaches and fans alike a lot about who they are and what they’re capable of.
Can a young receiver make a play when the ball is thrown to someone other than Jeremiah Smith? Can a little-seen defensive end create some havoc in the backfield? Can someone who has spent September waiting his turn make the coaches reconsider how long that wait needs to be?
Even against an overmatched opponent, those opportunities have tremendous value even if they are not designed to upend the depth chart. At some point during the gauntlet that is the back half of the regular season, Ohio State might find itself in a situation when it has to turn to a player who has spent a bit more time watching than playing so far this season. I would prefer his first substantial experience to come with a comfortable lead at home rather than in front of 90,000 screaming, corn-fed fans in Lincoln or in a one-score game in the greatest rivalry in sports.
So yes, wanting to see the next wave of Buckeye talent in relatively high-leverage situations is selfish from a fan’s perspective, but those reps also help prepare the players in question for whatever comes next. So seeing guys like Legend Bey and Kyle Parker back on the field, or TJ. Alford, Brock Boyd, Simeon Caldwell, Riley Pettijohn, and Epi Sitanilei get an increase in snaps, or even seeing Cincere Johnson, Blaine Bradford, Jerquaden Guilford, and Jordan Thomas get substantial action would be a lot of fun, but you know what would be even more fun? Cool plays!
Give me a little offensive misdirection. A receiver pass, a bizarre formation, something that so thoroughly confuses the camera operator that the announcer has to apologize for what you just saw. Let the defense roll out a heretofore never-seen blitz that leads to Maryland quarterback Malik Washington questioning why he started playing football in the first place, let alone why he came to Maryland.
And if the special teams want to show any signs of life, maybe they could consider a bit of razzle-dazzle on a return, or heck, if they’re feeling frisky, maybe they could even go and connect on a field goal of more than 40 yards.
These flights of fancy obviously don’t need to be this afternoon’s entire game plan, but a few well-timed explosions of creativity would certainly satisfy this fan’s appetite for football chaos, while — more importantly — also benefiting the Buckeyes long-term by having something outside the scope of their normal playbook on film. Perhaps Ohio State uses it again; perhaps an opposing coordinator spends part of their game week preparing for something the Buckeyes will leave untouched until December. Either outcome has its charms.
There will be plenty of time to stress over meaningful football, postseason implications, and whatever deeply unreasonable things I will yell at my television. We spend so much time watching Ohio State through the lens of what everything means for the next game, the next month, or the next championship that sometimes we forget to enjoy the game happening right in front of us. Today, I would like to watch some young Buckeyes begin to make a name for themselves, see some beat-up Buckeyes enjoy a well-earned afternoon off, and have to rewind the game to figure out what the heck just happened.
It’s Homecoming. Give my niece something fun to remember from her first game in The Shoe; give future opponents something annoying to worry about in their respective film rooms; and give the rest of us a few hours to enjoy being Ohio State fans without needing to monitor our vital signs. The nerves can wait until Bloomington; today, I’m here for the kicks and giggles.
