Welcome to the Skull Session.
C.J. Stroud is hilarious.
This is INCREDIBLE: CJ Stroud approached Jaylon Johnson during Sunday nights game and told him that he heard him discussing his cornerback secrets on Richard Shermans podcast.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 19, 2024
You aint getting me! You aint getting me!
Johnson was stunned pic.twitter.com/P6jwhQFAbv
Have a good Friday.
“IT’S INSANE. IT’S CRAZY.” As Ohio State offensive lineman Josh Fryar answered questions from reporters after practice on Wednesday, he made a comment that perked the ears.
“I used to not get tired in practice last year,” he said.
I inhaled, waiting for a “But…”
“But now I think we’re pushing,” Fryar said.
I exhaled.
He continued.
“The coaches are pushing us harder than ever to where I’m out of breath every single play because we’re just going hard as hell. It’s insane. It’s crazy,” Fryar said. “The experience of (practicing and) playing hard from last year to this year – I can’t describe in words what it feels like.”
Fryar can’t describe it.
But Day can.
“One of the biggest things when you’re trying to chase something special is you have to challenge each other, and you have to be truthful,” Day said. “When you’re challenging each other – and you have to do it – you have to have that approach like, ‘I love you so much now that you’re gonna be hurting in the future. I’m gonna open up my heart. I’m gonna push you.’ You have open conversations back and forth. I think that’s what it is. If it’s not good enough, we have to call it for what it is. When it is (good enough), we have to celebrate those moments.”
That explanation fires me up.
This Ohio State team has talent. That’s obvious. But it also has the drive to be “the most physical, intense, hardest-playing team in the country,” as Day described it on The Ryan Day Radio Show.
“We saw some of that last game,” Day said Thursday. “There’s something to build on there. The sideline exploded after big plays. You saw guys finishing in the end zone after touchdowns. You saw guys celebrating each other in the end zone. You saw guys scoring touchdowns and hugging offensive linemen. You saw guys chasing (teammates) down the sideline. That’s what you want. We have to continue to build on that. … We talked about being the hardest-playing team in the country. When you get away from a game, you’ve got to get refocused on that.
With a threatening Marshall team coming to Columbus, Day sees Saturday as an opportunity for his team to add another brick to its foundation.
“They have talented players. They do. They’re quick, fast, powerful,” Day said. “We have to be aggressive. We have to bring the fight to them.”
“I HAVE ENJOYED THAT PART OF IT.” The previous section illustrates, in part, the energy and intensity Day has brought to the Ohio State football program in 2024. While several factors could contribute to Day’s increased contributions in those areas this season, one of them – and it could be the most important of them, if there are multiple – has been Day’s decision to hire Chip Kelly and hand off duties as the Buckeyes’ offensive play-caller.
“When you’re calling plays, first off, it’s hard to be anything other than calm because you have to get your thoughts together. You have to get the next series of plays ready or your next third-down call,” Day said last week. “You have to communicate while the defense is out there on what just happened and make those corrections. There’s a lot going on during that time.”
In other words, Day spends less time as a tactician and more time as a motivator these days.
“Now I can just be myself and chase everybody around,” he said. “To me, I’ve enjoyed doing that. I’ve enjoyed being with the defense and being with the special teams and barking at everybody. But that’s typically how I am in practice. It’s just when you’re in a game, it’s a little bit more difficult to do that. I have enjoyed that part of it so far.”
Day also thinks Kelly has liked being Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Electing to be in the box on gamedays, Kelly has benefited from the new environment, which allows him to be organized and “think clearly,” Day said.
“If you just think about it logistically and practically, you have a desk there, you can put your call sheet here, you can put the tablet over here, you can write things down on a sheet of paper. You just can’t do that when you’re on the sideline. It allows you to think clearly. It also gives you a really good vantage point from up there for what’s going on in a series.”
Through three weeks, Ohio State leads the Big Ten in scoring offense (54 points per game), total offense (543.5 yards per game) and yards per play (7.99), so I’ll call Day’s decision to become the program’s CEO a win-win for the Buckeyes so far.
"THIS KID IS SO GIFTED." This week, another college football legend praised Jeremiah Smith.
On Wednesday, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow – a two-time national champion, two-time All-American and Heisman Trophy winner – called Smith “gifted” and compared the 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman to former Alabama wide receiver and NFL All-Pro Julio Jones.
“I was at practice during fall camp, and I was like, ‘What?’ This is a joke. This kid is so gifted,” Tebow told Nick Kosko of On3. “I know this sounds like a lot, and I don’t mean for it to be hyperbole, but I remember going against Julio Jones freshman year, and that was the first name that came to my brain when I watched (Smith).
“I thought, ‘Whoo, he reminds me of Julio.’ And I don’t put a lot of people in Julio’s category. I have very few. Him, A.J. Green and a couple of others. That’s not many. But that’s who I thought of. He still has a lot of room to get to Julio status, but that was the first name I thought of.”
In Ohio State’s wins over Akron and Western Michigan, Smith collected a combined 11 catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns, exceeding the massive expectations placed on him as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class. As the season continues, Smith will look to continue his rise to stardom – one that just this week allowed him to become the first college football player to sign an NIL deal with Red Bull.
Off week, got my wiiings @redbull pic.twitter.com/KNqgmI5mQ5
— Jeremiah Smith (@Jermiah_Smith1) September 19, 2024
A Red Bull sponsorship at 18 years old?
Yeah, he’s the truth.
NUUUUUUGE. On Saturday, Eleven Warriors assistant producer George Eisner posted a Remember When article detailing the game-winning 55-yard field goal Mike Nugent made to push Ohio State past Marshall, 24-21, on Sept. 11, 2004.
This week, Jarod Smalley of NBC4 took Nugent back to Ohio Stadium, allowing the former Ohio State kicker to relive “The Kick Heard ‘Round the Shoe.”
The two-minute interview and video is well worth a watch:
THE KICK HEARD 'ROUND THE 'SHOE: It's been 20 years since Buckeye hall of famer Mike Nugent booted a 55-yard field goal as time expired to beat Marshall, 24-21. In this clip, Mike breaks down how he approached the kick and the wild celebration that followed. pic.twitter.com/6ju2bnUFxG
— Jerod Smalley (@JerodNBC4) September 19, 2024
Mike Nugent, an absolute legend.
SONG OF THE DAY. “Legend” - The Score.
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