Luke Fahey starts again for Ohio State vs. Oregon

There was no quarterback controversy at Tuesday's press conference. Day settled it right away.

Joey Kaufman

@joeyrkaufman

Ryan Day confirmed Luke Fahey will make his second straight start at quarterback when Ohio State hosts Oregon this weekend.

Fahey is only starting because Julian Sayin hurt his right shoulder and could be out for the rest of the season. Fahey was the No. 2 behind Sayin for the first half of the year, and when he got the USC start he became just the 5th true freshman to start at quarterback for Ohio State. The others are Kyle McCord, Braxton Miller, Terrelle Pryor and Art Schlichter. That's a short list, and not every name on it got a soft landing.

His line at USC was fine on paper: 21-of-38 for 260 yards, a touchdown to Jeremiah Smith and no turnovers. The context makes it look worse. Before Ohio State's last 2 possessions, with the game already out of reach, Fahey had just 134 passing yards. The offense settled for 3 field goals before it finally found the end zone late in the 4th quarter. That isn't all on the freshman, but it isn't the kind of offense that beats Oregon either.

The bigger problem was discipline. Ohio State committed 11 penalties for 75 yards, its first game with 10 or more since October 2023, and Day didn't sugarcoat it.

Joey Kaufman

@joeyrkaufman

Ryan Day: "The penalties are ridiculous. The mistakes are ridiculous. We're not where we need to be."

Day didn't stop at the players. He said he's not in the frame of mind to change his staff during the season, but he wouldn't rule it out in principle. For an Ohio State head coach in early November, that's a notable thing to say out loud.

Dan Hope

@Dan_Hope

Asked if he would consider staff changes during the season, Ryan Day says he’s not in that frame of mind right now, but he’s not against doing so in principle. Day said the coaches, starting with him down to the coordinators and the position coaches, have to do a better job.

The offensive line is also unsettled. Austin Siereveld replaced Ian Moore at left tackle for the final drive against USC. Day insisted it "wasn't a performance issue" and said this week's line will depend on how practice goes. On defense, Eddrick Houston limped off after the USC game, but Day said he's doing better and expects him to practice Tuesday.

Dan Hope

@Dan_Hope

Ryan Day said Austin Siereveld replacing Ian Moore at left tackle for the final drive against USC “wasn’t a performance issue.” Day said Ohio State’s lineup on the offensive line this week will depend on how the week goes.

Now Oregon comes to town, and Day called the Ducks as talented as anybody Ohio State has played all year. Ohio State is 6-2 and 4-1 in the Big Ten. UCLA is 8-0, so the Buckeyes are already chasing. Oregon has 2 conference losses, so both teams are playing to stay alive. Day said his team needs real urgency this week or Saturday won't go well. With a freshman making his 2nd start against a defense this good, that's a reasonable thing to worry about.