C.J. Stroud will be back this week after missing just one game.
Ryan Day said Thursday that he expects Ohio State’s starting quarterback to be ready to play on Saturday against Rutgers after Stroud missed last weekend's game against Akron due to a shoulder injury.
“I thought C.J.’s had a good week of work, so looking forward to getting him back on the field this week,” Stroud said during The Ryan Day Show on the Ohio State Sports Network.
Day said he felt confident about Stroud returning to action this week after seeing him practice for the past two days.
“I thought he knocked a little bit of the rust off Tuesday at the beginning of practice, and then finally got into a rhythm about halfway through Tuesday, and then had a good day yesterday,” Day told reporters after Thursday's radio show.
Day said Tuesday that Stroud would start against Rutgers if healthy, so all indications are that Stroud will be Ohio State's starting quarterback this weekend, though he did not say that outright on Thursday.
Stroud sat out the Akron game after battling a shoulder injury for Ohio State's first three games of the year. Kyle McCord started the game in his place – and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in his Ohio State debut – while Jack Miller also saw playing time in the second half.
Day believes it benefitted Stroud to have a week to get healthy and to watch the other quarterbacks practice and play.
“I think it allowed him an opportunity to heal up and rest up his shoulder, but also a little bit of a different perspective,” Day said. “When you watch practice, when you watch the game from the sideline, you just see things from that lens, it helps, so I’m hoping that pays off here.”
He also believes it benefitted McCord and Miller to have the chance to get their first reps of the season against Akron, though he indicated that Stroud would likely get all of the reps this week as long as the game remains competitive.
“I think it goes a long way that these guys now have been in games before,” Day said. “Any time we can do that, we want to do that and make sure those guys get those reps. When it’s appropriate, we will. But C.J.’s had a good week of practice, and looking forward to Saturday.”
Stroud, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after each of Ohio State's first two games of the season, is expected to take the reins of the Buckeyes’ offense once again now that he's feeling healthier. While the shoulder injury appeared to affect Stroud's performance in Ohio State’s first three games of the year – especially in its third game against Tulsa, in which Stroud threw for just 185 yards – both Day and wide receiver Garrett Wilson said they've seen a healthier Stroud this week.
“He looks good,” Wilson said. “Seems like he's healthy again. It's the best I've seen him spin it in a while.”
Ohio State will need Stroud to perform well this week as it goes up against a Rutgers defense that currently ranks eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in opposing passer rating (95.7). Saturday's game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
