Ryan Day explains why CJ Stroud has fourth-quarter success so often

No. 2 Ohio State improved to 8-0 with a 44-31 win over Penn State, moving one step closer to a showdown with unbeaten rival Michigan at regular season’s end. Quarterback CJ Stroud‘s fourth-quarter performance?

Terrific. He went 6-of-8 passing for 128 yards and a touchdown in the final frame as the Buckeyes scored three offensive touchdowns in the quarter.

“In the fourth quarter of those games, when it was time to put the pedal to the metal and go get it, he went and got it,” coach Ryan Day said. “That’s winning football. I think you have to play your best football in the fourth quarter.”

Make no mistake about it, Stroud has been spectacular all season. There’s a reason he’s one of the odds-on favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

Stroud is currently 159-of-223 passing for 2,377 yards with 29 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His ability to play turnover-free football, which he did again against the Nittany Lions, has been huge.

“I think for CJ, understanding that the No. 1 thing is winning is something in the offseason that he’s embraced, and that doesn’t mean throwing for X number of yards, although it happens naturally,” Day explained. “He ended up throwing for 350-something yards, what was he, 26-of-33 and played unbelievable in the fourth quarter.

“But I mean he took care of the football. And that’s something that in some of these games, it’s like how important is taking care of the football? It is huge. And he did that.”

Ohio State, CJ Stroud fourth-quarter focus a point of emphasis

CJ Stroud’s fourth-quarter success isn’t a complete accident. The Buckeyes have long stressed playing for all four quarters.

Now, the starters don’t always end up playing much in the fourth quarter. As good as Ohio State has been this season, some games have been decided long before then.

Some, though, like that Penn State game on Saturday, require the best players bringing their ‘A’ game with the game on the line.

“Every game is its own season, every game is its own story,” Day said. “Here, not every game is the same. What I mean by that is there’s games where our guys aren’t playing in the fourth quarter. It’s just the way it is. Not that we prepare for that, but that’s just, that happens that way. Then there’s games we know it’s going to be a four-quarter battle all the way till the end and we’ve got to play that way.”

The win over Penn State went all four quarters. This weekend’s game against Northwestern may not.

Regardless, you can probably expect to see a pretty crisp Stroud. There’s very little reason to think otherwise at this point. He’s been a model of consistency all season.

Ohio State and Northwestern will kick off at noon ET on Saturday with a broadcast on ABC.