Ohio State is likely moving on from its right guard rotation.
Ryan Day said Tuesday that Tegra Tshabola will “probably” remain the Buckeyes’ outright starter at right guard after playing all of the first-team snaps at that position against Iowa.
Ohio State had rotated Tshabola with Austin Siereveld for its third and fourth games of the season against Marshall and Michigan State after Siereveld filled in for Donovan Jackson at left guard in the Buckeyes’ first two games of the season. Against Iowa, however, Siereveld didn‘t play until the final three snaps of the game when the second-team offensive line came in.
As the Buckeyes prepare for a top-three showdown with Oregon on Saturday, Day said the Buckeyes are likely to have Tshabola play the entire game at right guard again, though Ohio State will continue to evaluate that position during practice this week.
“We'll keep evaluating on a week-to-week basis. But he is getting better, and we felt like he could handle those guys inside and gave us the best chance in that moment to win the game,” Day said. “So we'll kind of, again, evaluate it this week. But if he continues to improve and continues to do what he's doing, then it'll look the same.”
Tshabola has started all five games at right guard for Ohio State this season. With Tshabola playing all the first-team snaps at RG against Iowa, the Buckeyes ran for 203 yards against a Hawkeye defense that hadn’t surrendered 100 rushing yards in any previous game this season, while they allowed only one sack.
