Here’s everything you need to know about the Ohio State spring game where fans will see Justin Fields for the first time, including how to watch online.
Since beating the Washington Huskies in the Rose to start 2019, the Ohio State Buckeyes have begun the process of life without Urban Meyer. Ryan Day has now moved up to the big chair and been tasked with keeping up the high bar set by his predecessor. Day also finds himself having to replace the most prolific passer in school history as Dwayne Haskins moves on to play on Sundays.
Day has wasted no time putting his stamp on the program in terms of recruiting and almost a total overhaul of the defensive coaching staff. We already saw the offense last season transform from a dominant run first team to a big 12-esque air raid team under Day’s playcalling so it possible fans could be in for an entirely new style of football this fall. And we’ll see a glimpse of what’s to come this Saturday as the team has it spring game.
Don’t expect a hitting affair as coach Day has stated that it will be a thud style (full speed up until contact). But there is plenty of storylines and position battles that we can begin to get a look at.
The Buckeyes have a good amount of players to replace as eleven starters or high-level contributors from last year’s team have graduated or gone pro. As said earlier the biggest being Haskins, but Day may have found himself the ideal replacement in former five-star and Georgia transfer Justin Fields. Once the number two recruit in the nation according to 247sports only behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Fields brings elite traits both passing and running the ball.
They also have to replace the highly productive trio of Paris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon in the receiving core. Keeping K.J. Hill was huge, but beyond him, there is a ton of unproven talent. A guy like Binjimen Victor needs to start showing more along with Austin Mack who is coming back from injury but was inconsistent when he did play in 2018. Other names to keep an eye on are Michigan killer Chris Olave who could be ready for a breakout season and new freshman five-star Garrett Wilson who is about as polished a high school wide receiver as I’ve ever seen.
In the trenches, be on the lookout for new names like Nicholas Petit-Frere, Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis who look to become first-year starters.
Behind them, running back J.K. Dobbins will likely take minimal snaps, but will this be the season DeMario McCall finally emerges? Or will Master Teague and freshman Marcus Crowley take the backup spot?
On defense, the Buckeyes may face even bigger changes as new co-defensive coordinators Jeff Hafley and Greg Mattison look to replace to Greg Schiano. All signs have pointed towards them simplifying the scheme and allowing guys to play much faster than last season. On the d-line, Larry Johnson has been able to continue developing at the position and nurture great talent. Chase Young is the cream of the crop but probably won’t play that much as his spot is fully established. Guys like Tyreke Smith, Tommy Togiai, Taron Vincent and Zach Harrison are young players to look out for.
The linebackers and the secondary were the biggest disappointments in 2018, and though we won’t be able to see if the tackling has improved, it’ll be interesting to see what’s changed coverage scheme wise. They’ve also employed a new hybrid linebacker/safety position called “bullet” so fans will get their first look at that.
One big name to watch out for is Sophmore Josh Proctor who has received continual praise in coach’s interviews.
With all that to look out for there is no way you’d want to miss out on this game as a Buckeye fan so here all the TV and live stream information you need.
Ohio State spring game broadcast information
- Date: Saturday, April 13
- Start Time: Noon ET
- Location: Columbus, Ohio
- Stadium: Buckeye Stadium
- TV Info: Big Ten Network
- Live Stream: BTN2Go