Ryan Day didn’t come away from Saturday’s 38-25 win at Penn State seeing major flaws from his Ohio State team. Plenty of minor things popped up, though, that he thinks the players and coaches need to work on.
One of them? Fixing the kicking game.
The Buckeyes sent veteran Blake Haubeil out for a 20-yard field goal near the end of the first quarter that he missed. They subsequently pulled him from the game due to injury and the miss – he told the coaches before the game his groin was bothering him – and inserted walk-on Dominic DiMaccio. A junior from Powell, DiMaccio made a 22-yarder then missed a 23-yard attempt in the final two minutes of the 13-point victory.
“Just ridiculous,” Day said regarding the missed field goals. “Those are chip shots.”
If Haubeil gets healthy by this weekend, it would make sense for Ohio State to continue to ride him. The senior has drilled 24-of-30 field-goal attempts in his career with a long of 55 yards, and he’s a perfect 130-for-130 on extra points.
On Tuesday, Day wasn’t willing to make a declaration on whether or not Haubeil will be available Saturday when the Buckeyes face Rutgers.
“I don't know exactly how long it's going to be with Blake, if he'll be ready tomorrow or it's kind of a day-to-day thing,” Day said.
Should Haubeil remained sidelined, DiMaccio and freshman Jake Seibert would be the candidates to fill in against the Scarlet Knights.
DiMaccio, in his third year at Ohio State, is 5-for-6 in his career on extra points. Last week’s two attempts were his first field goal attempts as a Buckeye.
Seibert, a true freshman, did not travel with the team last week and has not attempted a kick yet. However, he’s in line to replace Haubeil next year as Ohio State’s kicker. He’s grayshirting this season, meaning he’s a walk-on right now but is in line to have a scholarship next year.
“Jake's definitely an option,” Day said. “He came here for a reason. Especially now with the rule where this year really doesn't count (for eligibility purposes), he's definitely an option.”
