The Ohio State Buckeyes know exactly what it feels like to lose a College Football Playoff game on a missed field goal. When they take on Tennessee in the first round on Saturday, Ryan Day might be better off not even bothering with a kick.
It turns out, the Buckeyes don't have a starting kicker. Day hasn't decided if Jayden Fielding or Austin Snyder will handle kicking duties in the most important game of the season.
What a great feeling with a playoff game in a matter of days.
Ryan Day said the Buckeyes will decide after today’s practice whether Jayden Fielding or Austin Snyder will be the kicker against Tennessee.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 18, 2024
Fielding missed two field goals in Ohio State's three-point loss to Michigan. And they weren't exactly low percentage opportunities. He missed from 38 yards out in the second quarter and again from 34 yards in the third quarter.
Before those critical misses, Fielding was 9-for-9 on field goals. He's been 57-of-57 on PATs this season. The problem is his 2023 season followed a similar trend. He made all but one field goal in the first nine games of the season. He was 6-of-9 in the final three games, including a missed 52-yard field goal attempt just before halftime against Michigan. If he had made that kick, the Buckeyes would have had a chance to kick a field goal to tie the game in the final minute instead of having to be more aggressive in search of a touchdown.
Snyder is the option to replace Fielding. He arrived in Columbus in 2023 after spending 2020 through 2022 with the Findley Oilers in Division II. He hit 31-of-41 field goals and 105-of-111 extra points. Before making the move up to Division I, he was an All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference first team selection.
Ryan Day should have definitively resolved kicking issue instead of letting it fester going into CFP game
This is the classic case of "the devil you know versus the devil you don't." Do you go with the established kicker who has let you down before? Or do you go with the unknown quantity who has never kicked at the FBS level, let alone with playoff pressure?
The fact that Day is even considering this competition with days until the playoff begins is a problem. Realistically, if Snyder was good enough to kick for the Wolverines, he would have done so already. Day could have shown confidence in Fielding by backing him despite the rivalry game misses. Instead, he's created uncertainty ahead of the highest-pressure game either of these kickers will play.
Don't be surprised if the kicking game becomes a talking point against Tennessee, and not in a good way.