Ryan Day: Impact of COVID-19 season still being felt at Ohio State, around college football

On3 imageby:Ashton Pollard09/28/21

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Although Ohio State had no issues with Akron last weekend with first time starting quarterback and true freshman Kyle McCord and a little play from redshirt freshman Jack Miller, they have looked pedestrian against their other opponents and have already lost to Oregon.

College football fans across the country, and particularly in Columbus, are wondering why the Buckeyes are struggling after a reign of dominance in the Big Ten with superior talent to their competitors (aside from Oregon).

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was asked if the team might have a hangover from the COVID-19 disruptions and protocols last year and responded that there are several factors in play. 

“I think that for us, certainly, there’s a little bit of a recalibration because coming off of last season there was a lot of missed play and missed reps, and so you came into this season with a lot of guys competing for a lot of spots,” Day said

Coming into the season, Ohio State needed to replace five starters on offense (including the starting quarterback) and six starters on defense from the team that earned a national title berth last January. 

“The truth is, at the end of the day, we have a lot of great guys in our program and a lot of guys who have worked really, really hard in our program,” Day added. “But at the end of the day, it comes down to how you perform. I think we have a great group of guys who are working really, really hard, and they’re going to continue to do that. The more that they understand this is about our team and not just about them I think is very, very important.”

The team has struggled, particularly on defense, as they have often looked gassed and confused while their opponents have the ball. The Buckeyes are allowing 410.8 yards per game (second-to-last in the Big Ten) and 23.3 points per game (third-to-last in the Big Ten). Additionally, linebacker K’Vaughan Pope was dismissed from the team following a sideline blow up on Saturday. 

Day added that changes across college football, presumably NIL and conference realignment, although he did not mention them by name, may be having an impact on athletes as well as they attempt to navigate the new reality of college sports. 

“I think there’s been a lot of changes as well in college football, certainly in the last year but in the last two to three years, that combined with everything that went on with COVID,” Day said. “Yeah, I think there’s a lot of dynamics at play here, and we’re very, very fortunate because we have such great guys here. But I think it’s definitely something you need to recognize.”