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Ryan Day shares takeaways from defense following Ohio State spring game

20200517_134556by:Justin Rudolph•04/16/22
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LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 6: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes prepares to take the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

The Ohio State Buckeyes‘ defense was a hot topic last season as they struggled throughout various points of the year. So it is more than understanding that head coach Ryan Day is focused during spring practices to make sure the Buckeyes’ defense is a strength of the 2022 season.

After the Ohio State spring game on Saturday, Day shared his takeaways from defense following and explained what he was most happy with.

“Yeah, today was very very basic, as you could see on both sides of the ball,” said Day “But what I liked was just the physicality and guys running around and tackling. And that was something that we wanted to get done in this game. But I thought you saw that certainly.

“The depth of the D-line is definitely gonna be a strength of ours. But it was good to see those guys run around and tackle. We’ll take a look at the film and see. It was more about fundamentals and tackling and playing with effort today.”

In Saturday’s Scarlet and Gray Game, the Ohio State defense experienced its share of highs and lows throughout the game. It would be difficult for those watching and in attendance to assess the level of improvement made by the defense from last year to the spring game. That is mainly because the Buckeyes intentionally kept the scrimmage as plain as possible. Not only is Ohio State looking to improve on its defense from last season, but offensively they are trying to replace the production of its talented wide receiver duo, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, both of whom are projected as first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ohio State plays emotional tribute to life of Dwayne Haskins at spring game

Saturday’s Ohio State spring game was about more than just football; it was an opportunity for the team to pay tribute to Dwayne Haskins. A former Buckeyes quarterback, Haskins was killed Saturday morning in South Florida while trying to cross I-595.

Ohio State had previously said it planned to honor Haskins at its spring game, and it followed through in several ways. There was a moment of silence prior to the start of the game, and starting quarterback CJ Stroud walked onto the field bearing Haskins’ name on the back of his jersey.

At halftime, OSU played a video tribute just more than two minutes long to Dwayne Haskins in which they showed highlights from his college career and also interviewed members of his family.