Day, Buckeyes Preparing For Inclement Weather Against Northwestern

By November 3, 2022 (2:07 pm)Football

When Ohio State takes the field against Northwestern on Saturday, the Buckeyes will not only be required to do battle with the Wildcats, but will also need to be prepared for potentially adverse weather conditions.

As the forecast calls for rain, as well as winds that could reach between 25 and 35 miles per hour, at kickoff time at Ryan Field, OSU coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes are preparing accordingly for adverse conditions against the Wildcats.

“We have to do a good job adjusting to the conditions,” Day said. “I always say that the biggest thing is that we have to handle it better than our opponent because they have to deal with it as well. If it’s extreme then we have to make adjustments.

“Certainly, the weather doesn’t look great. The forecast doesn’t look very promising so we’re starting to talk about some of the ideas and thoughts in all three phases of the game,” he continued. “That’s why you plan like this and you have balance in game-planning because in November the weather is unpredictable in the Big Ten.”

Day noted the Buckeyes may need to lean on their running game a bit more against the Wildcats due to the potential conditions during the game. As Miyan Williams went down with an arm injury last week, alongside season-ending injuries to TC Caffey and Evan Pryor, Day added that he believes Ohio State will have enough guys to man the running game against Northwestern.

In regards to preparing for the potentially rainy weather, Day emphasized that the Buckeyes have seen similar conditions during practice — noting that they’ve made it a point to practice in the elements in order to be prepared for adverse weather in games.

“In terms of the wind, we practice in the wind. It’s been very windy the last few weeks (in Columbus), we’ve had some really windy days,” Day said. “We played the game up in East Lansing, Mich., and it was around 20 to 22 mile per hour winds at times. This one is calling for more than that so we’ll have to adjust. But, we’ve practiced in that weather.

“This week, in terms of the rain, we do have wet ball drills where we squirt water on the ball before the snap just to get that feel for it,” he continued. “We also practice in the elements, so when days like this come up then we’re able to handle it.”

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