Julian Sayin is out, and Ohio State is leaning on Luke Fahey, a freshman who went 0-for-2 against the Hoosiers. Sayin hurt his right arm in the fourth quarter of the 19-15 win at Indiana, and Ryan Day now says he is out indefinitely. Fahey, who beat out five-star Tavien St. Clair for the backup job, is the favorite to start at USC on October 31. Former Michigan associate coach Biff Poggi says Ohio State can’t just plug him in and hope.
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During his appearance on the Jim Rome Show, Poggi said the Ohio State offense Fahey inherits isn’t easy to manage because it’s not built to grind out tough yards and rely on a power running game. Day says the Buckeyes are building a plan for the rest of the regular season and the postseason without Sayin.
“It’s something that honestly, if you look at Ohio State, the way they’ve scored points this year, they’ve scored them outside of the red zone,” Poggi said on the Jim Rome show. “So in other words, a lot of big plays from Sayin to number four, and they’re very explosive. They’ve got other guys who are explosive too.”
“So it’s not been a real kind of ball control, deliberate. They’re not running it great. They’re running it okay. A lot’s going to be on this young guy’s [Fahey] shoulders. Put it this way, these are hard shoulder pads to fill. Ryan Day’s got to figure out a really tight plan to give this kid success and let him play in himself. If he does that, they got a chance.”
Sayin has 2,007 yards and 19 touchdowns through seven games, after a Heisman finalist year with 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns. He is an 18-3 as a starter, and his 38-yard fourth-down throw to Jeremiah Smith at Indiana is the kind of play Poggi means. The run game is the problem. Ohio State ran for 78 yards against the Hoosiers and averages 153.1 a game, 74th nationally. The offensive line has allowed 42 pressures and six sacks, and Smith has been double- and triple-teamed.
Before Indiana, Fahey was 9-of-11 for 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in mop-up duty, including a 75-yard touchdown to Chris Henry Jr. against Kent State.
At Mission Viejo, he threw for 7,021 yards, 68 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He won a state title as a sophomore and had 3,199 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior. Day said that Fahey has “a oxie about him,” and likes his work ethic and legs.
“We’re not going to put any timeline on his return, but he is out indefinitely,” Day said about Sayin and also added that Fahey is “extremely competitive.”
Fahey was ahead of St. Clair in practice, but both quarterbacks received first-team reps during the bye week, leaving Day to make a decision next week. Day mentioned that Fahey was “drinking through a fire hose” against Indiana and suggested Ohio State may need to adjust its offense to better suit the freshman.
Josh Pate says Ohio State could miss the playoffs
Ohio State is 6-1 and 4-0 in the Big Ten, No. 3 in the AP poll, with USC, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan left in the schedule. However, college football analyst Josh Pate isn’t buying the hype around Fahey.
“I think they’ll lose at least three games, and I think they’ll miss the playoff,” Pate said on the Rich Eisen Show. “I think they’ll be a 9-3 team, really good defense. And if they make it, it’ll be because of defense.”
Pate wasn’t only talking about the playoff contention; he also made a point about Fahey being the starter for the Buckeyes, questioning his unproven production.
“I guarantee a lot of Ohio State fans assume, all right, here comes Tavian St. Clair. Wait a second. The Fahey kid’s in. What’s the deal with this? And so that’s this whole side conversation of why Tavian St. Clair isn’t ready to play for Ohio State? He’s another one of those former five-star guys.”
Poggi’s advice overall is that Day has to give him an offense where Fahey can run, and if he does, Ohio State’s defense and Smith could give it a shot. If not, Pate’s number for Ohio State could start to look right.