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What Ohio State football linebacker Sonny Styles thought about position switch in Week 1

Published

4 days ago

September 5, 2024

Press Room

What Ohio State football linebacker Sonny Styles thought about position switch in Week 1

Sonny Styles expected to debut as a starting linebacker on the weak side.

It was where he had largely lined up since first moving from safety in spring practice.

But when Cody Simon was held out of Ohio State’s season-opening victory over Akron with an unspecified injury, it prompted a change in plans. Styles took over as the starting middle linebacker, also known as the Mike.

“I have a pretty good grasp and knowledge of the defense,” Styles said, “so it wasn’t a super hard switch for me.”

The biggest adjustment last Saturday involved hearing play calls from defensive coordinator Jim Knowles through a speaker in his helmet, part of the new coach-to-player communication that debuted this year.

As the starting middle linebacker, Simon had the most time to familiarize himself with the device in preseason practices. Only one player on the field can be fitted with one.

“I thought it was a solid day,” Styles said. “I thought I did pretty good with.”

Styles said they only had one slip-up in the Buckeyes’ 52-6 win, a situation when he heard a call late and a bit of confusion ensued before the snap.

“It got a little hectic,” Styles said, “because everyone’s looking at you, ‘What’s the call? What’s the call?”

Teammates praised Styles for his communication as he relayed the calls from Knowles.

“He came in ready,” defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau said. “He was prepared. We had no trouble getting the calls, and when we did, he helped keep the defense in one piece and not let us get all out of place. He ran the show and did a great job.”

More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy

Styles has shown positional versatility at Ohio State since graduating a year early from Pickerington Central High School in 2022.

He started last season as the nickel safety before switching to strong safety when Lathan Ransom suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury.

Having to juggle multiple safety positions prepared him for adapting to multiple spots at linebacker.

“When I was at safety, I knew how to play all three,” he said. “I took the same mindset when I moved to linebacker.”

Styles, who racked up six tackles against the Zips, could remain as the middle linebacker this week against Western Michigan if Simon does not return.

While Simon has practiced this week, coach Ryan Day on Wednesday night stopped short of saying he would be available against the Broncos, remarking only that he was “day to day.”

Until last week, most of Styles’ preparation for playing middle linebacker had come off the field. He said he had not taken many reps at the position in practices.

Most of his reps had been mental ones, observing Simon in the role from the sideline after rotating off the field.

“I’m just taking note what the Mike’s doing all the time,” he said.

When Day has sat in on linebacker meetings, he has noticed Styles’ participation.

“He’s answering the questions,” Day said. “He’s very, very involved with everything that goes on.”

In other instances, Styles has reviewed additional film with linebackers coach James Laurinaitis.

The dedication paid off as he adjusted to another role.

“It shows the work that he’s putting in off the field that nobody sees,” Day said.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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Ohio State Buckeyes Drop In Recent AP Poll Despite Big Win

Published

5 hours ago

September 8, 2024

Press Room

Ohio State Buckeyes Drop In Recent AP Poll Despite Big Win

Despite a dominant 56-0 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday, the Ohio State Buckeyes drop to No. 3 in the newest college football AP Poll.

BREAKING: Week 3 College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/1LJ7WzV8RN pic.twitter.com/nFftgvgaGY
— On3 (@On3sports) September 8, 2024

Heading into the second week of the 2024 season, the Buckeyes were the No. 2 ranked team. However, Texas head coach Steven Sarkisian and his squad jumped Ohio State after defeating Big 10 rival Michigan, 31-12. Former Buckeyes quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, which helped solidify the Longhorns as the second-best team behind Georgia.

Looking at the rest of the Big 10 landscape, Penn State stayed put at No. 8, but newcomer Oregon dropped to No. 9 after a close win against Boise State, 37-34. USC benefited from the shakeups within the top spots, as they moved up two places to No. 11. The Trojans have shocked the college football world after the team’s hot start to the 2024 season, and have proved to be a real threat for the conference title.

With a big loss to the Longhorns, Michigan took a dramatic fall to No. 17. The Wolverines’ schedule still includes USC, Oregon, and Ohio State. And after a huge start to the season for Nebraska, the Cornhuskers make the programs first appearance in the top 25 at No. 23.

Ohio State will have a bye this coming week, but will return to action on Sept. 21 against Marshall. The Thundering Herd are coming off a tough loss against Virginia Tech, but will also have a week to reset before traveling to Columbus.

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5 takeaways from South Alabama’s 27-20 loss to Ohio

Published

12 hours ago

September 8, 2024

Press Room

5 takeaways from South Alabama’s 27-20 loss to Ohio

South Alabama went down in defeat to a “peer” program once again on Saturday, losing 27-20 at Ohio to fall to 0-2 this season.

Major Applewhite’s Jaguars played without starting quarterback Gio Lopez, who was dealing with a turf toe injury suffered last week vs. North Texas. South Alabama had opportunities to tie the game or take the lead in the second half, but could not cash in.

South Alabama drops to 0-2 after 27-20 loss at Ohio

The Jaguars have a short week before hosting Northwestern State on Thursday. Before that, here are 5 takeaways from the loss to the Bobcats:

1. Jaguars’ offense lacked consistency without Gio Lopez

Bishop Davenport played fairly well in his first extended action for South Alabama, but was nowhere near the dynamic force that Lopez is when healthy. Davenport missed a few open throws, and was late with some others that might have been bigger plays. The Jaguars also didn’t take many shots downfield in the passing game, something they’ve done with regularity the last three years.

2. Fluff Bothwell is the best running back on the team

Starting running back Braylon McReynolds didn’t play due to injury, so Bothwell moved up to No. 2 behind Kentrel Bullock. It’s starting to look like the talented freshman should be No. 1, however. He’s just a different kind of runner than anyone else on the South Alabama roster, and the Jaguars probably wasted some opportunities to use him more early in the game. Once Ohio got up by two scores, the running game went away.

3. Defense was better but still not good enough

The Jaguars weren’t completely helpless against the Bobcats, though they still allowed three killer scoring drives. Ohio took control with a pair of long touchdown marches, one right before the half and one right after. Then they killed most of the fourth quarter with a 13-play field-goal drive. The Jaguars did make a few big plays — including a sack/fumble in the third quarter — but couldn’t get off the field when it mattered most against an offense that wasn’t exactly dynamic.

4. Special teams again have a bad day

Other than placekicker Laith Marjan, South Alabama’s kicking game has been pretty horrid this year. A fumbled punt in the second quarter gifted a touchdown to Ohio after the Jaguars’ defense had made a stop. Kick coverage has also been suspect this year, as were kick returns on Saturday. The Jaguars would have been better off just fair-catching all kickoffs instead of trying for a return and winding up with the ball short of their own 20. Aleksi Pulkkinen made his first appearance at punter and had an up-and-down day in windy conditions.

5. It’s getting difficult to find 6 wins on this schedule

South Alabama is sitting at 0-2 despite being favored in both of its games this season. The Jaguars will almost certainly win Thursday vs. FCS opponent Northwestern State, which lost at home to Prairie View on Saturday. But then come consecutive road games against Sun Belt preseason favorite Appalachian State, SEC power LSU and much-improved Arkansas State. The Jaguars will be hard-pressed to enter the nationally-televised Oct. 12 “Battle for the Belt” with Troy at better than 1-5, and thus will struggle to be bowl-eligible for the third straight year.

NEXT UP: South Alabama hosts Northwestern State at 6:45 p.m. Thursday. That game will be streamed live via ESPN+.

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Mailbox: Are Ohio State football games getting to be too long?

Published

19 hours ago

September 8, 2024

Press Room

Mailbox: Are Ohio State football games getting to be too long?

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

On Ohio State football

To the editor: It’s always great to watch the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe. Been doing it since the late 1950s, but (Saturday) seemed different. Granted, it was extremely hot in the sun, but the length of the game was disconcerting. It took at least an hour for the first quarter to end.

I’m a longtime Archie Griffin fan, having watched him many times excel in the Horseshoe and enjoyed his being honored for all he has and continues to accomplish for Buckeye nation, but the other timeouts interrupted the football experience.

I worry, as baseball has had to change and shorten its game, that college football could be facing the same challenge. Our grandkids were excited to see their first Buckeye game, but it was a long day at times for them. Not to take away from those deserving recognition, but most of us are there to watch and support Buckeye football action.

Than Johnson, Urbana

To Than: I’ve found mismatches seem too long and great games seem too short. Also, the day goes a lot quicker at home when you can change channels to another game during those long timeouts.

To Brian: I wonder if Appalachian State or Ohio State have ever pursued a game with the other, which would still be a curious pairing even though it’s been a while. Surely schools such as next week’s opponent, Marshall, like Memphis, Tulane, Colorado State or Temple could be found that would come to Ohio Stadium without expecting a return game and would be better matchups than what we’ve been seeing.

Dennis Singleton, Dayton

To Dennis: If that happened, Appalachian State would have no bigger fan base than the one in Ann Arbor that day.

To the editor: We only read when one of the football Buckeyes gets arrested by the police. Then we scream, cry and carry on about those faithless heathens. Well, many Buckeyes are true believers despite the violent nature of football. Witness Master Teague, Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, J.T. Tuimoloau bringing 10,000 Bibles to distribute and sharing their faith on the OSU campus. While I don’t share their religious beliefs, I think these players are people we can believe in and can be called campus heroes.

Michael Oser, Columbus