Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State wants to 'leave no doubt' in The Game this season

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Ohio State wants to ‘leave no doubt’ in The Game this season

Ohio State reached the Michigan 37-yard line before Kyle McCord threw a game-ending interception that effectively ended his run as Buckeyes starting quarterback and his team’s College Football Playoff bid. It also meant Ohio State had to wait another year to avenge consecutive losses to its rival.

But, the series prior to that fateful interception, the Buckeyes allowed Michigan to milk seven minutes of clock with a 13-play, 56-yard drive, which culminated in a 37-yard field goal that put the Wolverines up, 30-24.

“After every year, you’ve got to identify what are the things that have held you back from reaching your goals, knowing that we want perfection, and we want to win the game at the end of the season,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said last week at Big Ten Media Days.

“In particular, like last year, what was it that prevented us from finishing off that last drive or getting off the field on defense, and why didn’t we do that? And it’s easy to say, ‘Well it comes down to a play or two,’ but that’s not really the case. What we need to do is we need to leave no doubt. No doubt.”

Day continued: “Don’t leave it to one play, don’t leave it to one call, don’t leave it to one stop. Leave no doubt when you’re on the field, and we’re not going to get into all the reasons or all the things that we’ve done to try to address that, to get that fixed. But we have, we’ve worked hard on that, and we feel good about where we’re at going into the season.”

Ohio State has not only returned 11 draft-eligible and starter-level players, but it added a fleet of impact transfers as well, including one of the best running backs in the country, a potential starting quarterback and arguably the best safety in college football.

The Buckeyes revamped their coaching staff, most notably bringing in longtime college and NFL head coach Chip Kelly to call plays, coordinate the offense and oversee the quarterback room.

Ohio State hasn’t beaten Michigan since 2019. The Buckeyes want to get the monkey off their back this year versus the reigning national champs. And they want to leave no doubt.

Projecting Buckeyes depth chart ahead of training camp

Ohio State training camp kicks off Thursday. With that in mind, Lettermen Row delivered another depth chart projection before the calendar flips to August.

Because the Buckeyes have brought back so much production from their 2023 campaign, there aren’t as many position battles to monitor as usual.

The depth chart — on both sides of the ball — is relatively clear at this point in the offseason. So take a glimpse prior to camp and make your final predictions about who starts where.

Go here for our defensive depth chart projection.

Go here for our offensive depth chart projection.

RELATED

• A-Deck: Five things to watch during Ohio State camp

What additions of guard Ques Glover, center Ivan Njegovan mean for Ohio State

Back-to-back days, Ohio State added the final touches to its 2024-25 roster: first with journeyman guard Ques Glover and then with Croatian center Ivan Njegovan.

The first squad under new head coach Jake Diebler is complete. Lettermen Row broke down the late July personnel moves Diebler and his staff made to round out the group, including how the Buckeyes got creative to make space for two needs.

Check out that analysis here.

Counting Down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 31 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 122 days

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