scarletngray
Gold Pants
Hoping that Luke and Jeremiah are getting plenty of time together throwing and catching over the next week and a half.
Upvote
0
-
New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.
- Thread starter pnuts34
- Start date
ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Luke Fahey’s Competitiveness, Pro Mindset Give Ryan Day, Arthur Smith Confidence in His Ability to Lead Ohio State Offense
Although Luke Fahey struggled when thrust into duty against Indiana, Ryan Day and Arthur Smith are confident in his ability to lead Ohio State’s offense going forward.
Fahey didn’t complete a pass after replacing Julian Sayin with eight minutes to play in Bloomington, going 0-for-2 while also committing an intentional grounding penalty. He scrambled for an 8-yard gain on his first play of the game after Sayin was injured, but the Buckeyes wouldn’t gain another first down from there, forcing them to cling on for dear life before ultimately escaping Bloomington with a 19-15 win.
In his first media availability since returning from Indiana, Day acknowledged that Fahey struggled against the Hoosiers. But he’s optimistic that Fahey will perform better when he’s been prepared to start a game rather than unexpectedly called into action for his first snaps in a competitive game at the collegiate level.
“Obviously, he was a little overwhelmed and drinking through a fire hose a little bit during that game. It's a tough spot to be in as a true freshman in the fourth quarter like that,” Day said. “But even just being out there, you can see him escape the pocket and make that play (on the 8-yard scramble). You can see a little bit of that in him. Now, he's got to find the speed of the game and settle in, which we can help him do.”
While Day seemed firmly committed to Fahey being the next man up at quarterback during his postgame press conference on Saturday, he wasn’t as definitive on Tuesday, saying that both Fahey and Tavien St. Clair will “get a lot of reps” during the bye week and that the Buckeyes will “play the guy that gives us the best chance to win.” It’s plausible that watching the film from the Indiana game gave Day reason to reevaluate whether Fahey should start at quarterback against USC.
But a couple of rough drives against Indiana, in a game the Buckeyes still ultimately won, don’t change the fact that Fahey beat out St. Clair for the backup quarterback job earlier this season. That certainly didn’t happen by default, as Fahey is a freshman who was a three-star recruit while St. Clair is a sophomore who was a five-star recruit. And Fahey has remained ahead of St. Clair based on his practice performance over the past month, Day said.
So while there’s a difference between competing to be the No. 2 quarterback and battling to start, and Fahey must prove over the next two weeks that he’s ready to start, he remains the frontrunner to start for at least the Buckeyes’ next game against the Trojans. And Day believes Fahey has the right makeup to succeed as Ohio State’s quarterback.
While Fahey, who’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds, might not be as physically gifted as St. Clair, who’s 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Day believes Fahey’s work ethic and competitiveness give him the potential for greatness.
“He's an extremely hard worker. He puts a lot of hours in. He's extremely competitive,” Day said. “He has a moxie about him. He has a competitiveness about him. We're always looking for quarterbacks who are just obsessed with being great, and I think when you get around Luke, you can quickly see how important it is to him. He puts a lot of work in. You see when he's there in the preseason or in the offseason, he's in here early with the receivers, and just going through the scripts. And you see him in the meeting rooms, putting in a lot of work, learning the plays. When he steps in the huddle, he's got it. And the linemen feel that.”
.
.
.
continued
Upvote
0