Ohio State was without two starters in its season opener, but Ryan Day hopes to have both back in Week 2.
Left guard Donovan Jackson and Mike linebacker Cody Simon were both sidelined from Ohio State’s 52-6 win over Akron while working their way back from injuries suffered during the preseason, but neither is expected to be out much longer.
Jackson’s return to the lineup is of particular importance as the offensive line had some struggles, particularly in run blocking, with arguably its best player out of the lineup. Redshirt freshman Austin Siereveld filled in admirably in his first career start, but Ryan Day acknowledged after the game that the interior offensive play wasn’t where it needed to be, at least in the first half.
“I just think there were some things off in there on the interior (offensive line),” Day said. “Guys just weren't quite fitting it up right. We weren't that far off schematically, we had some good ideas of what we were doing. And there was a couple runs that maybe we could have hit better at running back, but I just think that we were just not great in the fits early on and I think – you'd have to ask those guys – they seemed like they were pressing a little bit early on again. But then I thought they settled in a little bit.”
“I just think there were some things off in there on the interior ... But then I thought they settled in a little bit.”– Ryan Day on Ohio State’s interior Offensive Line vs. Akron
Jackson wanted to take the field against Akron, per Day, but the Buckeyes did not want to rush him back into the lineup without being certain he was ready to play. They‘re optimistic that he will be ready to play next week against Western Michigan, but Day says that will be determined by how his week of practice goes.
“He's gotta have a full week next week. We plan on him playing next week,” Day said. “If he doesn't, then that means he’s had a setback. But we want to be smart. We know it's a long season. He was really all over us about getting back, but we're only going to do it when we feel like the trainers give him the full go on that.”
The same could be said of Simon, though his position group flexed its depth against the Zips. Arvell Reese was one of the defense’s top standouts when he subbed into the lineup at linebacker, collecting four tackles with a tackle for loss, and Gabe Powers recorded a pick-six in the game’s late stretches.
C.J. Hicks started at Will as Sonny Styles slid over to Mike in place of Simon. Hicks picked up six tackles and a sack while Styles posted six takedowns of his own.
“(We’re) hoping to get Cody back next week, we’ll see how this week goes,” Day said.
McGuire had “much better week of practice” than McLarty
With Jackson and Simon’s injuries revealed in the pregame status report, the biggest personnel surprise on Saturday came after Ohio State’s three-and-out opening drive when Joe McGuire trotted onto the field to punt the football.
That’s mainly because Ryan Day named freshman Nick McLarty the team’s starting punter on Aug. 22. McLarty’s massive boot gave him an initial leg up in the Buckeyes’ punting competition, but McGuire outperformed McLarty in practice during the week leading up to the game against the Zips.
“Going into last week, I felt like Nick was ahead of Joe,” Day said. “Joe had a much better week of practice leading up to (the game), significant. We felt like Joe's experience in the program, being here for a year, was better. We probably could have given Nick one down the stretch there. In hindsight, we probably could have done that, should have done that. But we wanted to go with the experienced guy in week one.”
McGuire also beat out walk-on Buffalo transfer Anthony Venneri, a two-year starter with the MAC school, to start against Akron. McGuire – who, like McLarty, is from Australia – is in his second year with the program after walking on in the fall of 2023.
“Joe had a much better week of practice leading up to (the game), significant.”– Ryan Day on why Joe McGuire started at punter
Where McGuire ultimately beat McLarty for the starting nod against Akron was in the realm of consistency. While McLarty’s farthest punts go further than McGuire’s or Venneri’s, more power means his mishits are exaggerated, as evidenced by his performance in preseason camp practices open to the media.
That said, Day left the door open in his postgame press conference for McLarty to still become Ohio State’s punter at some point this season.
“If Nick can continue to grow and build and learn, then we'll get him in there because he does have a lot of potential and a big leg,” Day said. “But Joe right now is a little more consistent.”
Inniss offers immediate spark on punt returns
While Ohio State’s punting situation might not be settled yet, the Buckeyes seem to have found a clear answer at punt returner in Brandon Inniss, who showed plenty of potential to be the game-breaker the Buckeyes have lacked in the return game in recent years.
In 2023, Ohio State had just 75 punt return yards for the entire season. Inniss nearly reached that number in just one game, gaining 60 yards on four returns – and he would have had 81 return yards if a 27-yard return in the fourth quarter hadn’t been called back due to a holding penalty by Calvin Simpson-Hunt.
Day was excited about what he saw from Inniss and the rest of the punt return unit in game one, believing it could be a precursor to breaking Ohio State’s return touchdown drought, which dates back to when Jalin Marshall returned a punt for a touchdown against Indiana in 2014.
“You can see we were close to it in a couple of the returns. We're working at it,” Day said. “We were just one or two (blocks) away. I don't know what Brandon's return yardage was but you can see there's some potential back there. We've got a bunch of guys buying into that and we're getting there. It was better today than I remember in the past. And so we'll keep working on that, because if we get some special teams scores, defensive scores, that can be a huge part of our season.”
“We were just one or two (blocks) away.”– Ryan Day on Ohio State’s potential for a punt return touchdown
Notable firsts
As is usually the case in a season opener, there were plenty of notable firsts for Ohio State players in the Buckeyes’ first game of the 2024 season.
- Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith recorded his first six career catches and first two touchdowns, the first freshman with multiple scoring grabs in a season opener since Michael Wiley in 1996.
- Freshman running back James Peoples scored his first career touchdown on his first career carry.
- Transfer running back Quinshon Judkins also ran for a touchdown in his first game as a Buckeye.
- Safety Lathan Ransom (27-yard fumble return) and linebacker Gabe Powers (29-yard interception return) also scored the first touchdowns of the
- Howard threw his first three touchdown passes as a Buckeye.
- Downs recorded the first sack of his collegiate career.
- McGuire’s first career punt traveled 42 yards before being downed at Akron’s 22-yard line.
Former OSU walk-on delivers for Zips
While Ohio State wasn’t quite able to hold Akron to a shutout, every single point in the game was scored by a player who has worn the scarlet and gray.
All six of Akron’s points in the Buckeyes’ 46-point victory were scored on a pair of field goals by Garrison Smith, who spent the 2021 season with the Buckeyes as a walk-on before transferring to McNeese State. In his first game as a Zip after transferring for the second time to Akron this offseason, Smith showed the kicking ability that led to his opportunity to be a Buckeye in the first place – and to then become a scholarship player elsewhere – as he made a 48-yard field goal and a 49-yard field goal on his only two attempts of the game.
GARRISON SMITH IS HIM
— Nick (@Slam_Hilliard22) August 31, 2024
3-0 ZIPS! pic.twitter.com/3uiSQsI8V1
Collectively, kickers went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts in Saturday’s game as Jayden Fielding, who is now in his second year as Ohio State’s top kicker, converted from 40 yards out on his only field goal attempt of the game.
