Ohio State has had an up and down year on special teams to say the least.
From kick returns to punts, almost every facet of Ohio State’s special teams has needed some sort of tweaking early in the season.
However, despite inconsistent performances it’s clear that it’s a group effort by Ohio State’s players and staff to improve its special teams on a weekly basis.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day said in his weekly press conference Tuesday that special teams is an area where he and the Ohio State staff have collaborated on to clean up sloppy play by a unit that’s shown flashes of strong potential.
Day said there are many moving parts to Ohio State’s special teams, with the majority of the teams and coaches participating in the unit in some way shape or form.
“Everybody’s involved,” Day said. “We meet here on Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. with everybody involved with special teams. Offense and defensive line quarterbacks aren’t involved, coordinators aren’t involved, but everybody else is. So we have an army of people here working on special teams.
“(Special teams coordinator) Rob Keys heads it up. He does punt returns. He’s sort of the point man there. And then each position is coached up by somebody individually.”
Though. That punt return team, especially the returners themselves, have been the area where Ohio State has struggled the most.
Wide receiver Brandon Inniss — the team’s lead punt returner — has had struggles with decision making and handling the football early.
Day said Inniss has shown the potential to be a playmaker, and he has trust in him to do so, but emphasized that ball security must come first.
“Brandon needs to hold on to the ball. Whether it’s offense or special teams, we’re going to get that fixed and we believe in Brandon,” Day said. “If Brandon didn’t fumble that ball, I don’t think anybody is asking if he was the right guy back there. So, he needs to hang on to the ball because he’s had two good returns here the last two games and that’s the bottom line.”
The Buckeyes’ field goal unit has arguably been the only Ohio State special teams group with no questions or early season hiccups.
Senior kicker Jayden Fielding has made all four of his field goal attempts, while going a perfect 15 for 15 on extra point attempts.
Day also feels special teams can bring value to the program with the ability to give inexperienced players and freshmen reps.
Ohio State often staffs its special teams with underclassmen, using the unit as a proving ground before they transition into larger roles on offense or defense.
Day said sophomore cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. is one of those younger players that will be earning more playing time because of his effort on special teams, noting his work on kick returns specially.
“We try to find young guys to get in there,” Day said. “Aaron Scott’s a player to me, the play that he made in the game through the last couple weeks. The last 13 times that we’ve run down on kickoff, he was the first guy to the 30-yard line. Then he gets in the game and he makes that hit inside the 20-yard line. Why? Because for the last 13 times, he was the first guy to the 30-yard line.”
He continued, adding that special teams effort is both the entry point and a springboard for players at Ohio State.
“It’s a great example, Aaron Scott’s going to start playing more football around here,” Day said. “So that’s how you cut your teeth on special teams. That’s the culture that we have and the guys buy into it.”
Overall, Day believes the special teams play must become more consistent — though he feels that the effort is certainly there.
Day emphasized the importance of the unit, noting that it needs to be a difference-maker for the Buckeyes.
“Special teams have to be an advantage for us,” Day said. “We put a lot of work into it. We got a lot of buying in the program through coaches and players and so we say our best players play and if we decide to pull somebody out, it’s because we decide to.”
