Ohio State finished first half of season strong after making tough decisions

That includes core players on both sides of the ball — quarterback Justin Fields, center Josh Myers, nose tackle Tommy Togiai and linebackers Tuf Borland, Pete Werner, Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard.

Ohio State’s lineup got even younger by the time the seasonopener rolled around as redshirt freshman Luke Wypler claimed a spot on the offensive line when junior Harry Miller was unavailable, and true freshman Denzel Burke and redshirt freshman Ryan Watts started at cornerback with veterans Cam Brown and Sevyn Banks banged up.

The lineup evolved throughout the first half of the season with injuries and coaches decisions changing it week to week, especially on defense.

Redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud even sat out a week to rest a sore shoulder, a break that seems to have done a lot for his mind as well.

But with the Ohio State schedule’s only open weekend at hand, coach Ryan Day’s Buckeyes appear to be playing their best football.

“I think there were a lot of guys who just didn’t have a lot of experience,” Day said. “Maybe there wasn’t a lot of confidence that they could do it themselves — but also that the guy next to them could do it.”

He noted the newness was not confined to the field.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out many normal aspects of game day last season, a large portion of the team had never even gone through the pomp and circumstance seen every week at Ohio Stadium in a normal autumn.

“Being with fans and going through the (pregame pep rally) Skull Session and the walk (to the stadium), all of those things were new for everybody,” said Day, whose team lost to Oregon in its first home game this year. “It took a while for some guys to get some reps under their belt and build some confidence.”

This could also be an area in which Ohio State’s ever-increasing reliance on out-of-state talent played a role in the slow start to the season.

In a candid comment after the Maryland game, Stroud explained just how much was new to him, a California native who arrived in Ohio not long before the start of the pandemic last year.

“I just feel blessed — I’m in a great program, a great university,” Stroud said. “We have great fans, a great band. We have a lot of great things going on.

“I don’t think back then I really knew what type of environment I was in, what type of program I was in and what type of support I would get. It really took those couple of games to feel the love.”

With some ups and downs in his first three starts, Stroud also endured criticism he says he had to learn to embrace.

“Sometimes you feel the hate, which I love,” he said. “If you really love this game, you have to love the good and the bad. God has blessed me with this opportunity and this platform, and I’m just gonna do nothing but give Him the glory. I just want to keep it going and try to be the best offense in the country.”

The Oregon game also provided a turning point for the Buckeyes as it forced Day to reconsider how things were being done on defense.

He gave play-calling duties to Matt Barnes and took them from Kerry Coombs, though Day and Barnes have both stressed multiple times coordinating the defense was and is a group effort that also includes defensive line coach Larry Johnson and linebackers coach Al Washington.

Coombs, who left an NFL job with the Tennessee Titans to return to Ohio State last year, is a respected football man who has had success at the high school, college and pro levels, so demoting him was no small thing.

Implementing big changes brought potential and risk, but the move appears to have paid off for a young head coach still only in his third season at the helm of one of college football’s premier programs.

“I think when you go through a loss, you have to figure out what the issues are and how to get them fixed the best you can,” Day said. “You’re not always going to be right. You want to act, but you don’t want to overreact. You want to identify what kind of team you have with personnel, scheme and coaching and do the best you can.”

After the Buckeyes’ defensive starters held a talented Maryland offense to less than 200 yards, Day said he gave the game ball to Coombs in the locker room.

“It’s because of everything he has been through the last couple of weeks,” Day explained. “He’s just continued to show up every day. He’s a huge part of the defense.

“We reconstructed a few things. We’ve got a little rhythm going. I think he’s doing a good job of seeing it from the box. Matt is doing a great job of calling it. Larry is doing a great job with his guys up front. Al Washington is starting to build some stability at linebacker. Those guys are all working together. They’re seeing it through one lens and you can feel it out there.

“The confidence is there and it’s strong. We still have a lot of football to play and a lot of really good opponents in the second half of the season. We haven’t done anything yet, but we’re building on it.”