Tomateaux Quinoa Gumbeaux said:

It has been

Also JMU-Troy is so bad it’s good

Click to expand...

Mike80 said:

And for most of that, he had Sam Darnold throwing to him too

Click to expand...

Bestbuck36 said:

No I think I misinterpreted what Day said. When he said "if" he was maybe talking if ever and I attached it to this week. Let's hope

Click to expand...

sparcboxbuck said:

“He’s like 6-1 with his hair…”

Click to expand...

colobuck79 said:

Login to view embedded media
This guy…,,,

Click to expand...

ScriptOhio said:

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2026/10/164897/cardale-jones-says-quick-easy-decisions-will-be-key-to-new-ohio-state-quarterback-s-success-just-go-out-there-and-be-yourself

Cardale Jones Confident Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair Will Succeed As Buckeyes’ New Quarterback: “They’re At Ohio State For A Reason”​

As Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair prepares to take over as Ohio State’s new starting quarterback, there’s no better example of what they could accomplish than Cardale Jones.

Twelve years ago, Jones took over as Ohio State’s starting quarterback after J.T. Barrett went down with a season-ending ankle injury in the Buckeyes’ regular-season finale against Michigan. He proceeded to lead Ohio State to a 59-0 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, an iconic win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals and a triumph over Oregon in the first-ever CFP national championship game.

Now, either Fahey or St. Clair will become Ohio State’s starting QB under similar circumstances after Julian Sayin suffered a potentially season-ending elbow injury in the Buckeyes’ last game against Indiana.

Jones knows that one of their lives is about to change in a big way. But he also says they don’t need to be anything but themselves to succeed in their new role.

“Just go out there and be yourself,” Jones told Eleven Warriors when asked what advice he would give Fahey and St. Clair. “I mean, you're here at Ohio State for a reason. It's easy to go out there to feel like you should prove somebody wrong. I think all these guys are here for a reason and understand that they don't have to do it by themselves. You don't have to go out there and be Julian Sayin, but quick, easy decisions are often going to get the job done.”

When Jones thinks back on his own transition from backup quarterback to starter, he credits his Ohio State teammates and coaches with setting him up for success. And he’s confident Ryan Day and the current Buckeyes will do the same for their new quarterback.

“I think it just took the guys around me upping their play. I think the talent or the confidence was never an issue or concern for me personally. I mean, my coaches may think differently,” Jones said with a laugh. “But I think just coming into a situation where I felt as comfortable as possible with the talent that I had around me and knowing, truly feeling like I didn't have to go out there and do anything that was out of my abilities.

“One thing I give a lot of credit to with that coaching staff, with guys like Urban Meyer and Tom Herman, is that they didn’t put me in and say, ‘You got to go out there and be J.T. Barrett.’ Even from the different style of plays that we would call, was fitted more for the things I did well. I think that's what I expect from Ryan Day and this coaching staff to do some of those things with Luke or Tavien.”
.
.
.
continued

Click to expand...

DaddyBigBucks said:

This has been such a weird year. The defense is better than the numbers show right now in my opinion. Some of that is because they are improving. Honestly, after watching the Illinois game (a long time ago for you guys but I've only jumped back in days ago), I honestly did not understand how that same defense performed the way they did against Indiana. That kind of improvement doesn't usually happen in the space of a few games.

Then there are the scores and short fields given by the offense. The improvement by the defense is difficult to quantify in a meaningful way, but some of the offensive miscues are easy.

For example:

Take the average points that Ohio State's opponents have scored on all other FBS competition this year (994 points) and divide that by the number of games that they've played collectively (39) and you get 25.487 ppg. Now take the Silver Bullets' 13.429 ppg (scoring defense) and divide it by that number and you get 0.527. In other words, the Buckeyes are allowing 52.7% as many points as their opponents usually give up. Some of you might remember that, for lack of a better term, I call this Differential Scoring Defense (DSD).

I have calculated a lot of DSD for a lot of teams over the years, and I can tell you that is very, very good. It's not what I would call elite, but it is good enough to be among the top 5 defenses in any year of this century.

For those of you who are wondering, the 2025 defense had a DSD of 34.4%. That is literally the second best number I have ever seen. The only team better was 2011 Alabama, who had an absolutely ridiculous DSD of 25.6%. The 2025 were better than any other defense of this century.

The numbers say the same thing that your eyes will tell you about the 2026 edition... they're not as good.

Bear in mind however, that there has been some weirdness this year; which brings us all the way back to the point. Those offensive miscues (with help from the zebras) have had a dramatic effect. Take away the pick 6 against Maryland, and the Buckeyes DSD goes below 50% (49.3% to be precise). Take away the interception by Indiana that gave them the ball at the 7 (which only happened because of an uncalled mugging of Jeremiah Smith) and the DSD drops to 45.4%, which is truly elite (top 15 this century or thereabouts).

With the trajectory this defense is on, this team's ceiling is not capped by the defense. As far as that side of the ball is concerned, the sky is the limit.

Click to expand...

Bestbuck36 said:

Smell a big game for him Saturday. Maybe house a punt?

Click to expand...

Thump said:

It’s in the 50’s.

Click to expand...

Thump said:

No way.

Click to expand...