Ohio
Is the Oregon Ducks Game a Must-Win for Ohio State Coach Ryan Day?
The Ohio State Buckeyes have yet to play a down in the 2024 season and yet speculation has started regarding the status of head coach Ryan Day.
Much of the discontent with Day is his record against Michigan, better known in Columbus as “that team up north.” In four meetings, Day is 1-3 while previous coaches, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, were a combined 16-1 against the Wolverines.
In order to reach their goals of beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten title and a national championship, the Buckeyes must also deal with an explosive Oregon Ducks’ offense and one of the best defenses in the country.
The margin for error is quite small although Day has taken significant steps to improve his team. The first bit of good news for him was the announcement from 11 players who decided to return to Columbus for their senior season. The first to opt in was Ohio State defensive end, Jack Sawyer, who did not hesitate to spell out what all 11 were thinking.
“We came back with one purpose and one goal, and that’s to beat the Team Up North and win a national championship,” Sawyer said.
One other move made by Day that stands out is the hiring of former Oregon and UCLA coach, Chip Kelly, as the offensive coordinator. Losing to Michigan last season and a desire to return to the top of the Big Ten were said to be the reasons Day gave up his play-calling duties.
Make no mistake, Day understands that high expectations are part of the job description at Ohio State.
“Now, our guys, they know what the expectation is,” Day said recently. “You’ve heard some of them say what their goals are. We’re not going to shy away from that. We want to win the rivalry game, be right in this stadium right here and win this Big Ten championship, win a national championship. We know that.”
Given his situation, a win against Oregon may not lock in a playoff spot or a Big Ten championship, but a loss could be devastating. Some of the more vocal fans and members of the media believe a failure to achieve the stated goals may mean a head coaching change. To that point, former Michigan receiver and Super Bowl XXXI MVP, Desmond Howard, offered his thoughts on a recent episode of ESPN’s “Get Up.”
“It’s like this. I think the people at Ohio State just pushed all of their chips to the center of the table,” Howard said. “They went and spent about $13 million on free agents – well, college football’s version of free agency with the portal and NIL.”
“Some fans would say, ‘Well if we got rid of Ryan Day, who will we hire?’ They went out and hired Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator,” Howard explained. “If things go awry, I think they have somebody who’s behind Ryan Day where they can say, ‘Chip Kelly can be the next coach too.”
There is little doubt that Kelly has been an offensive innovator throughout his coaching career including stops in New Hampshire, Oregon Ducks, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and the UCLA Bruins. His decision to take the job at Ohio State was a surprise to many. However, it was likely inevitable that he leave. Bruins’ fans and boosters were not happy with the results, although wins were trending higher, and Kelly was looking for a change.
When pressed for details behind his decision, Kelly told media at Ohio State that he felt at ease in coaching UCLA’s quarterbacks before the LA Bowl and this role allowed him to focus on football. As to a return to the top job, Kelly’s prior actions reveal his dislike for some of the responsibilities typically handled by the head coach.
Simply said, Kelly would seem to prefer to study the game rather than handling issues like recruiting, meeting with alumni and boosters, communicating to the press, selling the program, etc. It was said in Oregon he declined to travel to Portland to attend booster meetings, alienating some important team donors. The takeaway from this is that Kelly can excel in building an offense but may lack the desire to deal with all that is outside the football field.
Lasty, there is an odd twist relevant to Day losing or not losing his job. Many believe that as long as the Buckeyes beat Michigan, Day’s job is safe even if there is no Big Ten title or national championship. While that may seem extreme, it reflects the depth of the rivalry between these two teams. Now, with a talented Oregon team (ranked second in the Big Ten) on the schedule, there are even more challenges for Day to face.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.
Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.
Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.
Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.
Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.
Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Up next
Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.
Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.
The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.
The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:
- Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
- Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
- Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
- Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.
The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.
In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.
The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.
Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.
An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot
Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.
“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale
Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.
Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.
The defense takes over
All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.
“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.
Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.
“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale
The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.
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