Football: ‘Improvement week’ upDAYtes

The Buckeyes are headed into their first of two bye weeks in 2024.

Ohio State won its first two games against Mid-American Conference opponents, collectively outscoring Akron and Western Michigan 108-6. But the Buckeyes know bigger challenges lie ahead.

That’s why head coach Ryan Day said Ohio State is reframing its first bye week as an “improvement week.”

Instead of taking a week to relax, the Buckeyes will go to work on the practice field Wednesday and Thursday, taking some time off Friday and Saturday.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from Day’s Tuesday press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

How the Buckeyes will approach their “improvement week”

Day said the Buckeyes’ 2024 schedule differs from previous years, with no games against Power Five non-conference opponents. This change gives younger players more chances to gain game experience, which will help the Buckeyes further down the road.

“It has allowed us a little bit of an opportunity with some of the newer guys to get them going and look to get their feet underneath them,” Day said. “As we grow, we know that we got a long way to go on this thing, and it’s just been a little bit different.”

With the bye week arriving after Ohio State’s second game, Day said the team would rather reassess and continue to build skill than just sit back and relax.

Day said a full season of college football isn’t a marathon — like many people claim — but rather 12 straight sprints.

“Everybody else in the country is playing this week for the most part, so we have to as well,” Day said. “We’ve got to get each other better.”

This week, Day said every player will be given a different focus area to improve upon from their respective positional coach.

“That’s the No. 1 thing this week: We gotta stay in a rhythm,” Day said. “We gotta have a good week of practice and think of it like a game week.”

Seth McLaughlin and the offensive line

When graduate center Seth McLaughlin transferred to Ohio State from Alabama, the Buckeyes knew they were getting a seasoned veteran.

Day said having a pro like McLaughlin around has been an immense help to the players and coaches alike.

“If Coach Frye or myself are barking at him, like we will, he just has a calming presence like, ‘We got it, we’ll get this straightened out,’” Day said. “And that’s what you want to hear as a coach.”

The offensive line has been impressive thus far in 2024, despite being without Donovan Jackson, a two-time First-team All-Big Ten senior left guard. Jackson is currently dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

The Buckeyes’ offensive line as a whole has improved from its first to second game, as proved by the rushing attack. Day said he’s seen a lot of good plays and effort from the line, but he knows it still needs to improve for tougher tests later in the season.

“Things were cleaner, but it’s just a start,” Day said. “Bigger challenges ahead.”

Without Jackson, and in a lopsided second half against Western Michigan, Ohio State was able to rotate in more depth linemen, allowing them to gain live experience in a game setting. Day said there’s encouragement in that aspect of the offensive line.

“I did think that the guys who came in in the second half on the O-line was a group that — Was it perfect? No — but I did feel like coming out of this game, it was better than it was in the last couple years,” Day said. “We were finishing at the end of games, guys were competing.”

Former Buckeye quarterbacks excelling elsewhere

Former Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord is off to a phenomenal start in his first season away from Columbus.

McCord has led the Syracuse Orange to two straight victories out of the gate, tallying a combined 735 pass yards and eight touchdowns, with only one interception.

Day said he’s happy to see McCord find success in New York.

“I’ve only seen a few highlights; it looks like [he’s] doing a great job,” Day said. “It looks like the first couple games, he’s got a good rhythm.”

But McCord isn’t the only former Buckeye quarterback to begin 2024 on a strong note.

University of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers has led the Longhorns to a 2-0 winning streak, most recently securing a top-10 win on the road in Ann Arbor, Michigan against the Wolverines 31-12.

Day said he uses examples like McCord’s and Ewers’ as key selling points to players who are considering committing to Ohio State.

“When you come to Ohio State, you’re going to get developed at a high level at every position,” Day said. “But at quarterback, I take a lot of pride in that, in the fact that we develop guys at a high level. And that even if you were to leave — we don’t want you to leave — but even if you were to leave, it’s time well spent and invested.”