Ohio State, ranked at the top, is currently navigating challenges with its offensive line as the regular season approaches its final stretch. Coach Ryan Day expressed optimism on Tuesday regarding the unit”s recovery, particularly after starting right tackle Phillip Daniels and key reserve Josh Padilla were sidelined during the Buckeyes” recent victory over Purdue due to unspecified injuries.
“We”ll kind of see as the week goes on, but we”re expecting a full week of work out of those guys,” Day stated. The undefeated Buckeyes are set to host UCLA (3-6) on Saturday night.
Sophomore Ian Moore filled in for Daniels and impressed Day, who remarked, “It was good to see Ian Moore in his first start play well. I mean, when you don”t notice somebody, that”s a good sign at tackle, and we didn”t really notice Ian too much.” Meanwhile, Padilla had been sharing time at right guard with junior Tegra Tshabola, who has had a season marked by inconsistency.
Day noted that Tshabola performed well in a previous game against Penn State but acknowledged a decline in performance against Purdue. This inconsistency opens up opportunities as Ohio State prepares for its concluding trio of games this season.
Senior Ethan Onianwa, who transferred from Rice and lost the right tackle position to Daniels in August, is also competing for time at right guard alongside Padilla, provided he recovers from his injury. “We”ll see how Ethan does today, but that”s kind of where we feel like we are right now. We feel like splitting the reps can help them — all those guys — become more efficient,” Day explained. “But we”re going to keep evaluating, keep pushing on it and see where we go. And a big part of it is how healthy Josh is.”
Following the matchup against UCLA, the Buckeyes will host Rutgers for their final home game before heading to Michigan for the traditional season finale. UCLA currently ranks 122nd nationally in run defense, allowing an average of 191.1 yards per game, and sits last in the nation for both sacks and tackles for loss, suggesting they may not pose a significant threat. In contrast, Rutgers also struggles defensively, ranking 126th against the run and 127th in sacks, but the upcoming game against Michigan is expected to be a far tougher challenge.
Michigan ranks 12th in the nation for run defense, allowing only 100.2 yards per game, and is also among the top teams for sacks and tackles for loss. Day remains optimistic despite the concerns, stating, “I”m encouraged with a lot of things that are going on up there, and if I thought it was a real problem or a mess, I would address it. I know that we”re going to get a lot more challenges here, and we”re challenging these guys every day.”
While pass protection has been a strength for the Buckeyes this season, the running game has been less consistent. Ohio State ranks fourth in the nation for both sacks allowed and tackles for loss allowed, but the rushing offense sits at 69th, averaging 155.1 yards per game. Their best performance this season against a Power Four conference team came at Purdue, where they rushed for 170 yards.
“The backs need to continue to run better, and we need to continue to figure out ways to put them in a situation to be successful,” Day added. “I think they”re grinding on it. They”re working hard.”
