Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes still determining defensive staff assignments
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 Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.
Buckeyes still determining defensive staff assignments
Ohio State is working on fixing its defense.
After looking lost on that side of the ball and giving up easy plays against Oregon, the Buckeyes are evaluating all options to remedy their defensive issues. That could include defensive staff shakeups and assignment changes.
Possible changing of headset responsibilities. Play-calling duties. Whatever is needed to be done, will be done.
“What we have to do is try to figure out what makes the best sense for us in terms of organizing the game plan and then calling the game on Saturday,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Thursday about his staff. “That’s all that we’re focused on right now.
“We can’t worry about feelings. We can’t worry about anything other than giving our guys the best situation to be successful. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
The staff changes still aren’t settled. And it won’t be known what changes there are until Saturday against Tulsa.
Zach Boren breaks down Buckeyes defensive potential
The Ohio State defense wasn’t all bad.
There is no sugar-coating the overall effort. Point blank: The Buckeyes didn’t come close to meeting the program’s expectations on that side of the ball, turning in a third-consecutive outing that officially registers as a concerning trend that has the full attention of coach Ryan Day.
The simple truth is the talent gap is so wide between the two teams matching up on Saturday in the Horseshoe, Ohio State could seemingly do just about anything it wants and get a bounce-back victory. But as the problems have mounted on defense, it’s clear the Buckeyes need to use the next two weeks against nonconference opponents to work through the issues and find solutions.
What can the Buckeyes take out of the fourth-quarter stands in the otherwise disappointing defensive effort against Oregon? How can Ohio State duplicate the success it finally found? Where are the biggest issues for the Silver Bullets moving forward? Former Ohio State captain Zach Boren was back again with Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward to answer those questions and more in the latest episode of BuckIQ.
Roll the tape!
ICYMI: Lettermen Live hosted by Roosters
Ohio State has several questions to answer as the coaching staff and personnel look for answers, and Lettermen Live is back at Roosters to break it all down.
Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward leads a crew that features former Buckeyes linebacker Bobby Carpenter, former Ohio State defensive back Tyvis Powell, Nicole Cox from Roosters and Lettermen Row director of recruiting Jeremy Birmingham.
What sort of fixes do Ryan Day, Kerry Coombs and the Buckeyes need to make to address a struggling defense? Do changes need to be made to the scheme to avoid getting gashed in the run game again?
As for the offense, C.J. Stroud threw for nearly 500 yards and tossed three touchdowns. He also threw a back-breaking interception during the Ohio State comeback bid. How should Stroud be viewed following his second start and what improvements does he need to make?
You won’t want to miss all that and more Buckeyes news that is featured in the latest episode of Lettermen Live hosted by Roosters.
Download Lettermen Row’s free app
Want an easier way to get free premium content from Lettermen Row?
The Lettermen Row app is here! Get all of the Ohio State news, analysis, videos and everything else you’ve come to expect from us in one free, convenient spot. It’s now available in both the App Store and Google Play. Check it out!
The Lettermen Row app can be found for free here:
Sign up for the Scarlet Sunrise newsletter
If you enjoy the Scarlet Sunrise posts, please consider having our newsletter delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
