Ohio State outlines differences in preparation for Northwestern game at Wrigley Field

Leading up to a Week 12 matchup against Northwestern, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reflected on the last time his team played the Wildcats.

Day referred to it as a “nightmare of a day.”

The Buckeyes made the trip to the now-demolished Ryan Field on Nov. 5, 2022. Winds reached north of 40 miles per hour, and the teams ran their quarterbacks in hopes of equating numbers on the ground while knifing through the whipping elements.

“Really what ended up happening was when the wind was in our face, and Northwestern did the same thing, they were trying eat up the clock and huddle, and then when the ball was behind us, we were trying to go no huddle so that we could punt the ball and throw the ball with the wind behind us,” Day explained Tuesday.

“But even when the wind was behind us that day, it was a challenge. C.J. [Stroud] did a great job pulling two big runs for us, and that’s kind of what bailed us out.”

Those conditions thrust the Buckeyes into uncharted territory during a 21-7 win. They’ll be in for another, albeit less windy, unique experience Saturday in Chicago.

This time, Ohio State will play Northwestern at Wrigley Field, the home of the MLB’s storied Chicago Cubs.

“It’s got great tradition,” Day, a Manchester, New Hampshire, native, said of Wrigley. “Growing up going to Fenway Park and being around baseball, seeing some of the great games played in that stadium, and then, as I got older, I had an opportunity to go see the Cubs play in Wrigley.

“Just the surrounding area, the restaurants that are in the area, it’s just got a great vibe there, right in that neighborhood. It’s a very unique place with an unbelievable history, and so it’s a great opportunity for us. I’m also excited for Buckeye Nation to get to the game and the fans to be there as well and experience that, and to get an idea of what kind of presence we’ll have at the game.”

Wrigley, approximately 8.8 miles away from old Ryan Field, has a capacity of 41,649 for baseball games and has held three college football games since 1938, all of which have included Northwestern.

Day has experience coaching football games in baseball stadiums. He’s done so at Yankee Stadium and at Oracle Park in San Francisco. He described it as a “different feel” but a “great opportunity.”

He did say, however, that the Buckeyes will be practicing on grass this week to simulate what it will feel like to play at Wrigley.

Day noted another change to Ohio State’s normal preparation: The Buckeyes will check out the field Friday, a day before the game is played.

“I’d like for them to see just the makeup of it,” he said. “I want them to see where the infield is filled in with some of the sod. I’d like for them to see how we’re going to handle halftime. We’re going to be in the bullpen, we’re not going up into the locker room.

“There’s just some different things that I’d like for them to see. And then also show them a little bit about what it’s like, because it is going to be different. It’s going to be a different feel there. It’s a baseball park. It’s different than a football stadium.”

Because Northwestern is building a new Ryan Field, this one on campus, the team has to play its home games for the 2024 and 2025 seasons at different locations.

It played its first five home games of the season at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, a facility that’s at the doorstep of Lake Michigan and also plays host to the Wildcats’ lacrosse team as well as its men’s and women’s soccer teams.

This season, Northwestern, currently 4-5 in its second year under head coach David Braun, will play both Ohio State and Illinois at Wrigley, where the Wildcats are still winless.

Ohio State leads the all-time series against Northwestern, 65-14-1, and has won 10 in a row, with the Wildcats’ last victory against the Buckeyes coming in 2004.

“We’ve always had good games against Northwestern,” Day said. “They’re very sound in what they do. Their scheme is very sound. They’re built from the inside out. And they’re gonna make you win the game. They’re gonna force you to earn it.”