Buckeyes optimistic but realistic about season
With the preseason underway, what will it take to get to game one?
COLUMBUS — The Big Ten released an updated football schedule last week, but Ohio State director of athletics Gene Smith was among conference leaders who went out of their way to stress that was no guarantee the season will occur.
The coronavirus pandemic that has enveloped the United States since March and flared up and down in various other parts of the world has taught or reminded many the biggest folly these days is being certain of what’s next.
Fortunately for Ohio State coach Ryan Day, that fits well with the “Win the day” mantra he learned from his mentor, Chip Kelly.
“I feel like it’s been a broken record here for the past few years, but when we say focus on right now and win the moment, this is the ultimate situation for that because we don’t know what’s coming tomorrow,” Day said. “Certainly anything’s possible. We all know that, but we’re not really focused on that.”
The Buckeyes began preseason camp Thursday. That came just less than two months since they began holding voluntary workouts on campus, a period that included a suspension of workouts for all Ohio State sports because of an increase in positive COVID-19 tests in early July.
Such pauses for positives have not been rare across the Big Ten or the country, and that has raised questions about how likely teams will be able to make it all the way to the end of the season.
Those may be more preva
lent on the outside than the inside, though.
“I’m real confident we’re gonna have a season,” said linebacker Justin Hilliard, expressing a sentiment shard by fellow captains on a conference call early in the week. “We can’t control many other things that are going on out there, but we do understand what we can control. We can’t have people testing positive for coronavirus so we’ve focusing on social distancing and staying healthy.”
To do that, Day said the coaching staff has started holding meetings outside in tents and moved lockers to the indoor football field.
“We found that obviously when you’re outside we have more room to spread out,” Day said. “That really helps. So that along with masking and really changing the style of where we’re meeting on a daily basis I think that’s really helping just to make sure everyone feels comfortable with their meetings spaces.”
Of course, when it comes to football one big unknown remains: What happens when players actually start playing it?
Social distancing during workouts and doing it during a play are considerably different with linemen crashing into each other, receivers running neck and neck with defensive backs and two or more players colliding for a tackle every 30 seconds or so.
While workouts have been done all summer, real football is just beginning.
Precautions have been discussed including actually wearing masks during scrimmaging and games, but that could bring about its own health risks.
“Once we put the helmets on, we’re not requiring them to wear masks because especially the big guys have a hard time breathing through the gaiter with a helmet on, but conversation still is had on a daily basis about what is best,” Day said.
“We’re going to try to limit the amount of contact we can have, certainly (not) taking guys to the ground, but it is a contact sport. So we try to limit it the best we can, but at the end of the day, there is going to be blocking. There is going to be tackling.”
An extended visor that goes under the facemask and covers a player’s nose and mouth has also been considered.
“We’ve been exploring it,” said Day, noting the NCAA had passed legislation to allow them to experiment with different safeguards. “We have several different models that we’re looking at. The guys have an option to use them at practice, and we’re getting their feedback on those things. There is a concern from some of the guys just about the ventilation of it — fogging up — and so we’re on a daily basis getting that information and trying to figure out what’s best for everybody because those skill guys are different than the big guys and the linebackers are different than the tight ends and so that’s something that the guys are giving us great feedback on.”
Ohio State is testing players twice a week, and Day called that the No. 1 way to prevent the virus from getting into the facility and spreading.
“In terms of making sure that you have a clean practice, I mean that’s the number one thing,” he said.
Day admitted at this point feeling different about the start of practice and the start of actual games, which is not set to happen until Sept. 3 and could be pushed back depending on the state of the virus’ spread.
The very specter of health concerns also means not every player will be available this season.
In both college and the pro level, some players have announced they will sit out this fall rather than risk getting sick.
In the Big Ten, that includes big names Micah Parsons at Penn State and Rondale Moore at Purdue.
So far, no Ohio State players have opted out, but there is no official deadline — either before the season starts or after.
Day said he welcomed a conversation about that if any of his players were considering it for any reason, but one of the highest-profile players said not playing had not crossed his mind.
“I really feel like people have different situations in whether they should opt out or not,” said quarterback Justin Fields, a junior from Georgia who was a fivestar prospect coming out of high school and could be a high first-round pick in the next NFL draft. “Some people’s family might not be as financially stable as others, but me growing up as a kid, I’ve always been a competitor, I’ve always loved to play football.”
As such, he is focused on working out and playing with his teammates.
“That’s what I’m cherishing the most right now. I’m really just looking forward to the season, but I’m just trying to stay as optimistic as possible right now,” Fields said. “But as to opting out, I can see where those guys are coming from, but I necessarily haven’t really thought of it yet.”