Ryan Day provides update on Ohio State right guard timeshare

Ohio State rotated redshirt sophomore Tegra Tshabola and redshirt freshman Austin Siereveld at right guard for the second week in a row. And, after a 38-7 win over Michigan State, head coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes haven’t moved off that strategy.

Leading up to a Week 6 matchup versus Iowa, Day was asked if he and his staff will come to a conclusion about who could be the permanent right guard.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Day said Tuesday. “We’ll kind of see how the practice goes. There was nothing on the film that set one ahead or behind. They both graded out similarly.

“So when that happens, we feel like if we can parse out the reps, then that helps both of them play better and stronger in the game. So we’ll see how the preparation goes this week and then decide as we get closer to the game.”

Tshabola got the start against the Spartans this past weekend, just as he had the previous three games, and he finished with 47 offensive snaps to his name, according to Pro Football Focus, which had Siereveld down for 30 offensive snaps. Siereveld, meanwhile, came in and out for Tshabola again. Siereveld started the first two games of the season at left guard while Donovan Jackson completed his recovery from a hamstring injury.

While Tshabola was flagged for holding in the third quarter against Michigan State, Siereveld was penalty-free in East Lansing. That said, Siereveld also has one penalty on the year, as he was flagged for holding in Week 2 versus Western Michigan, a game in which he also conceded a sack.

Still, it’s important to note that Siereveld was pressure-free against Michigan State, whereas Tshabola was one of four Buckeyes starting offensive linemen who allowed a pressure against the Spartans, per PFF.

Both Tshabola and Siereveld were productive, though. They helped Ohio State flirt with the 500-yard mark. The Buckeyes rushed for 185 yards and, notably, didn’t allow a sack to a Michigan State team that entered the week averaging 3.75 sacks per game, at the time the most of any squad in the Big Ten.