Skip to main content
Ohio State

Scarlet Sunrise: In Cotton Bowl, special teams once again headache for Buckeyes

IMG_7408by: Andy Backstrom01/02/24andybackstrom
Parker Fleming by Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State special teams coordinator Parker Fleming looks up at the video board during a 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

In Cotton Bowl, special teams once again headache for Buckeyes

Special teams made headlines for all the wrong reasons at Ohio State during the regular season. Nothing changed in the Cotton Bowl.

With pressure on special teams coordinator Parker Fleming and his unit to perform in a low-scoring field position battle, they hardly steered away from self-inflicted mistakes.

Punt returner Jayden Ballard had two fair catches inside the Buckeyes’ 10-yard line in the first half, the second of which he pulled in at the Ohio State 5-yard line.

That meant that true freshman quarterback Lincoln Kienholz — who replaced injured starter Devin Brown — had to take his first meaningful collegiate snaps with his back to the end zone in the Cotton Bowl.

“We shouldn’t catch the ball on the 4-yard line,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said postgame. “Our heel should be on the 8. I think he felt like in that moment they were right behind him, and they were going to pin it inside the 4.

“But, still, you have to stick to your rules in that situation.”

Ohio State also missed a field goal for the second straight game, this time from 48 yards out early in the third quarter. Jayden Fielding, who drilled a 44-yarder in the opening frame, doinked his second attempt off the left upright.

That made Fielding 16-of-20 on the season, including 5-of-9 on kicks from 40 and beyond.

“That one was big at the time,” Day said of the sophomore’s missed field goal. “It was a little momentum swing, and they get the ball back on the 30-yard line.”

Although Missouri didn’t score on the ensuing possession, it did put Ohio State in a field position bind.

Again.

Tigers punter Riley Williams booted the ball only 37 yards to the Buckeyes’ 25-yard line, however, a holding penalty on Ohio State pushed Day’s team back to the 15-yard line.

The Buckeyes rounded out the night in AT&T Stadium with three penalties: that holding infraction, a block in the back in the second quarter that drove Ohio State back to its own 7-yard line and, on the very first drive of the game, a delay of game penalty after Jesse Mirco trotted out for his first of eight punts.

“There was a funky look there,” Day said of the delay of game penalty. “And we always tell them, ‘Hey, if you’re not sure, don’t snap the ball.’ And we ended up getting that one off. So that one there, you know, was OK.

“But I felt like we were punting with good hang time, and we were covering and flipping the field at times pretty well. So, I thought that was well done.”

Mirco was the lone special teams bright spot in Arlington. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt and booted punts of 61 and 59 yards in the first half. The junior finished the night with four punts of 50-plus yards and three total punts that landed inside the Missouri 20-yard line.

Except now Mirco — a three-year starter for the Buckeyes — is in the transfer portal.

Last year’s season ended with a botched fake punt in The Game and then a shanked 50-yard field goal as time expired in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal.

This year’s season was marred by special teams miscues week in and week out: procedural penalties, a dribbling long snap by John Ferlmann versus Maryland, a muffed punt return against Penn State (punt hit Lorenzo Styles Jr. who was running back to block for Ballard) and an unplanned — and failed — punt run by Mirco against Rutgers stand out the most.

Ohio State’s special team blunders in the Cotton Bowl can be added to that list.

Catching up on Cotton Bowl content?

Ohio State flopped offensively in the Cotton Bowl, scoring 20 points or fewer for just the fifth time since Ryan Day joined the program in 2017 — but the third time this season.

There weren’t too many bright spots in a 14-3 defeat to Missouri, but the top-10 New Year’s Six showdown in AT&T Stadium did feature a strong performance by the Buckeyes’ defense.

Lettermen Row had full coverage of the disappointing conclusion to the 2023 season, which included the short-lived starting debut of Devin Brown and the first real meaningful snaps for fellow quarterback Lincoln Kienholz.

Get up to speed here…

Transfer tracker: Breaking down Buckeyes moves, philosophy in transfer portal

Having trouble keeping track of all of Ohio State’s transfer portal departures?

Lettermen Row has you covered.

The Buckeyes have seen 18 of their scholarship players hit the portal — including starting quarterback Kyle McCord, starting wide receiver Julian Fleming and key running back Chip Trayanum — and there could be more on the way after bowl season.

Follow along here to stay up to date.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 333 days

Are you a Lettermen Row member yet?

Are you ready to get all your latest Ohio State news in one place? Become a member of Lettermen Row today. With your Lettermen Row/On3+ membership, you’ll not only have access to everything that’s happening with the Buckeyes, but you’ll also be able to peruse other fan sites within the network to hear just how rivals are feeling about Ohio State, as well. Make sure to follow along on X, Instagram and on Youtube for all the latest Buckeyes news you need to know.

You may also like