Buckeyes boosted by strip sack, fumble recovery TD in opening win
MINNEAPOLIS – Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson has a frequent saying among his players.
“He always says sacks are good,” defensive end Zach Harrison said. “But strip sacks change the game.”
Harrison remembered that late in the third quarter of the Buckeyes’ 45-31 win at Minnesota. He shot out of his stance, shed a block by right tackle Sam Schlueter and charged toward quarterback Tanner Morgan in the pocket.
Morgan never saw him, and Harrison knocked the ball out of grasp. It bounced on the turf before landing in the hands of defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, who ran it 32 yards into the northeast end zone at Huntington Bank Stadium.
“I just got off the ball, used my hands, used my technique, bent the edge, saw the quarterback and hit him,” Harrison said.
At the time, the Buckeyes held a narrow 24-21 lead, but the fumble recovery for a touchdown gave them a needed boost and a late cushion.
“It definitely added some energy to our sideline and added seven points to our score,” Harrison said. “So I feel like yeah, it definitely had an impact on the game.”
“That was probably the difference in the game,” said coach Ryan Day, who additionally mentioned some of the explosive plays from the offense as being critical in the victory.
Harrison appeared poised for a breakout season this fall as coaches praised the former five-star recruit’s work ethic throughout this past offseason and teammates voted him as one of six team captains.
In his first game as a junior, he had the strip sack with three tackles.
The Buckeyes’ defense had other issues that will need to be addressed as the season unfolds. It allowed 31 points, equaling the most it’s given up in an opener since 1950. Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim ran for 163 yards and touchdowns, bouncing off missed tackles.
But Harrison and Garrett contributed to a critical turning point.
Cornerback Sevyn Banks held out
It looked like Sevyn Banks was going to play.
He was not listed as unavailable on Ohio State’s status report and was in uniform when players were out stretching before kickoff.
But he never saw the field, leaving the Buckeyes without their top returning cornerback against the Golden Gophers and compounding the absence of Cameron Brown.
Without Banks and Brown, the Buckeyes turned to inexperienced options. True freshman Denzel Burke and redshirt freshman Ryan Watts were the starters in their place.
Coach Ryan Day said Banks was available only in an “emergency role” for Thursday night’s game.
Banks had been out during spring practice and limited in preseason camp after tweaking something last month, according to Day.
Luke Wypler gets start at center
Day praised redshirt freshman center Luke Wypler for an “excellent job” in replacing Harry Miller in the starting lineup.
“There’s another young guy that has very, very little experience,” Day said. “He handled the weather, handled the calls, handled the environment, the fans. We’ll see how he grades out, but I thought he handled everything really well.”
Day did not detail the reason for the absence of Miller, who was one of 11 players listed as unavailable on the team’s status report, mentioning only that he is “day to day.”
Wypler appeared in only one game as a true freshman last fall, though he competed in preseason camp with Miller for the starting job.
Field-goal duties
Noah Ruggles made a 35-yard field goal early in the second quarter in his first attempt for Ohio State.
A graduate transfer from North Carolina, he beat out Jake Seibert in preseason practices to handle the placekicking duties.
The competition had not been settled until late this week as Day said on his radio show Tuesday that they were still vying for the role. Seibert did not travel with the team for the game.
Ruggles also made all six of his extra-point attempts.
Backup QB picked?
True freshman Kyle Mccord appeared to be the Buckeyes’ backup quarterback for the game.
In pregame warmups, he directed the second-team offense, following C.J. Stroud in the final 11-on-11 walkthrough.
Day has not named a No. 2 quarterback behind Stroud and said earlier this week that Mccord and redshirt freshman Jack Miller were still competing for the role. jkaufman@dispatch.com @joeyrkaufman