3 Areas Ryan Day Wants Ohio State to Improve Against Maryland

Ohio State enters Saturday’s matchup against Maryland with several areas still needing improvement before a challenging stretch of games against Indiana, USC and Oregon.

Here are three areas Ryan Day wants to see the Buckeyes improve.

Fix the Special Teams

Through five games this season, Ryan Day acknowledged that he has yet to see the improvement he wants from Ohio State’s special teams. 

“When we look at the consistency of kicking field goals, not good enough. When we look at our return yards, we need to be better, just across the board. We have an opportunity to pooch the ball inside the 10-yard line, that has to get done. So it’s a challenge to everybody in the program. We’ve got to get better in all four phases of special teams,” Day said.

Kicker Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field goal against Texas with 4:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. He missed again against Iowa, this time from 40 yards in the second quarter.

Field-goal inconsistency isn’t a new issue for Ohio State. Day acknowledged that the struggles have persisted across multiple seasons and kickers, despite changes to practice routines designed to simulate pressure situations.

“You ultimately fall to the level of your training, but we have to keep looking and uncover all stones to get this thing addressed because we know it’s going to come down to one of these kicks again,” Day said.

Create More Explosive Runs

Ohio State’s rushing attack finished with 160 yards against Iowa. Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson combined for 142 yards on 30 carries, but neither recorded a run longer than 16 yards.

While Day was pleased with the physicality and efficiency of the running game, he wants to see the Buckeyes turn those consistent gains into bigger plays.

“I think our running game right now, when you look at the efficiency, is solid,” Day said. “But we want to be more explosive still. We want to create bigger runs.”

Day emphasized that creating those opportunities goes beyond the running backs, requiring contributions from the offensive line, tight ends and receivers.

Sayin Has to Stay Consistent With His Reads

Against Iowa, Sayin completed a 54-yard pass to Jeremiah Smith in triple coverage despite having a wide-open Devin McCuin on the play.

Day emphasized that Sayin needs to trust his reads rather than rely on Smith to make difficult catches while guarded. 

“That was a result of a ridiculous throw and a ridiculous catch. Eventually, that’s going to get you beat. So we have to be smart about that,” Day said.

With defenses continuing to devote significant attention to Smith, consistently finding other open receivers will be crucial as Ohio State moves deeper into Big Ten play.

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