Presumably, this week should be the opportunity for Ohio State to give some of its quarterbacks who aren’t named C.J. Stroud a chance to play.
Through the first three games of Ohio State’s 2021 season, Stroud is the only quarterback who’s taken a snap for the Buckeyes this year. And as the Buckeyes move forward into October and November, when they’ll play only games against Big Ten opponents, there’s no guarantee Ohio State will have any blowout wins in which it will be in position to take its starters out early.
On Saturday against Akron, however, Ohio State is favored to win by seven touchdowns, which should – emphasis on should, considering that the Buckeyes were in a one-score game with Tulsa in the fourth quarter – present the opportunity for Ohio State to get its backups into the game. Ryan Day confirmed Tuesday that he wants to make that happen if possible.
While Day said he doesn’t feel pressure to play his backup quarterbacks this week, and he isn’t going to force putting them into the game if he doesn’t feel it’s the right situation, he would like for some of his quarterbacks other than Stroud to get the chance to throw their first passes as Buckeyes in Ohio State’s final non-conference game of the regular season.
“This week, we’ll take a look at the circumstances and see if it makes sense to have some other guys take some reps,” Day said. “I’d love to get some of those guys in there and see what they can do.”
Although he did indicate that Quinn Ewers, who just arrived in August, hasn’t taken enough reps yet to be ready to play in a game right now, Day didn’t specify whether true freshman Kyle McCord or redshirt freshman Jack Miller would be the second quarterback into the game after Stroud. McCord has often been the second quarterback in line behind Stroud during warmups before each of Ohio State’s first three games, but Day said that how much McCord and/or Miller play against Akron will depend in part on how they practice this week.
“A lot of it has to do with the week of preparation. It really is week-to-week,” Day said. “The better they practice, the more opportunities they’re gonna have.”
Beyond just giving McCord and Miller a chance to show what they can do and gain valuable game experience, another reason for Ohio State to consider playing its other quarterbacks this week is that Stroud is dealing with a shoulder injury. When asked Tuesday if he would consider resting Stroud against Akron, Day didn’t completely rule out the possibility, but said the plan is for Stroud to practice and play this week.
“We can talk about that as the week goes on, but his plan is to practice right now,” Day said.
That said, Day is continuing to shut down the notion that a quarterback other than Stroud should be starting for the Buckeyes. While he acknowledges that Stroud has had growing pains, he believes Stroud needs the opportunity to learn from his mistakes, and Day remains confident Stroud’s future as Ohio State’s starting quarterback is bright.
“I think what C.J. has done so far, he’s had some reps that he wants back, but he’s also had some really good reps, as well,” Day said. “I think when you look at his numbers compared to some of the younger quarterbacks we’ve had – and he’s young, he’s like playing a true freshman – there’s gonna be growing pains along the way. And he’s just gotta learn from those and continue to grow.
“I think that there’s a lot of great football ahead for C.J. Stroud. I just do. When you look at kind of the situation that he’s been put into and some of the throws he’s made, you can see he can do it. Now we just gotta keep growing on it.”
Because Stroud still needs as many game reps as he can get, Day could be hesitant to take him out of the game too early against Akron, knowing it’s important for Stroud and the offense to find their rhythm before they get back into conference play.
“If it works out (playing the backup quarterbacks), we’ll do it,” Day said. “But C.J. gets in there, we also want to get him to find a rhythm as well and kind of get the execution of the offense. That’s the No. 1 goal is to make sure that we’re executing at a high level and finding that rhythm. I don’t think we’ve found that quite yet.”
Day appreciates that Ohio State fans want to have the opportunity to see the other quarterbacks play, but indicated that Stroud has been the best quarterback in practice, which is why Stroud remains firmly atop the depth chart.
“You guys don’t get a chance to see practice. I know you guys all want to see all those guys (the other quarterbacks) play,” Day said. “But we see practice and we see what happens, and C.J.’s practiced very, very well, and he’s played well at times as well.”
“I think that there’s a lot of great football ahead for C.J. Stroud. I just do. When you look at kind of the situation that he’s been put into and some of the throws he’s made, you can see he can do it.”– Ryan Day on C.J. Stroud
It is important, though, for McCord and Miller to get game reps as soon as possible in case they are needed later in the season, and while Day wasn’t going to outline Ohio State’s offensive game plan for Saturday in a press conference, it sounds likely playing time for at least one if not both of them will be in the cards against Akron.
“It’s all about how these guys prepare and how they practice, but if the opportunity presents itself, then we’d like to do that this week,” Day said. “If something presents itself where we can get other guys in the game, we certainly want to do that.”
