Columbus, Ohio — Long before kickoff on Saturday afternoon, the energy of college football’s first nationally televised spring game permeated Ohio Stadium. A DJ was spinning carefully chosen music on the field, as throngs of recruits shook hands with the Buckeyes coaches. Numerous well-known former players were milling about the sidelines, while FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt gave a motivational speech on the television boards.
Over 80,000 spectators gathered at The Horseshoe to witness the first glimpse of a much awaited team in a much awaited season for head coach Ryan Day, who can’t afford many mistakes, if any, following three straight losses to Michigan. Day’s prescient warning to Klatt in a pre-game interview was this: The theme of this season is “beating the team up north and winning a national championship.
At first blush, the pieces might be there for the Buckeyes to make that kind of run. Saturday’s spring game, which pitted the offense against the defense and used a modified scoring system, became a showcase for Ohio State’s tremendous depth at the skill positions and overall talent on defense. That the first stringers couldn’t be tackled — a decision made by Day and his staff — did little to quell the excitement in Columbus.
The afternoon ended as a 34-33 victory for the Scarlet (offense) over the Gray (defense), but the final score was hardly an accurate reflection of what unfolded. This year’s spring game belonged to the defense as long as the first and second units were on the field. The offense still has a way to go and another quarterback competition to settle.
There was still some doubt as to which quarterback Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly would choose as the starter, if only temporarily, as Saturday’s spring game’s kickoff drew near. Would it be the well-known Kansas State transfer Will Howard? Or would it be Devin Brown, Kyle McCord’s backup last season and the most seasoned returner?
Howard was the first to get the go-ahead when the offense strolled onto the field for the first play. His 6-foot-4, 237-pound bulk undoubtedly gave him the appearance of an experienced and mature signal-caller. As Kelly rotated his players during the game, Brown, sophomore Lincoln Kienholz, and true freshman Julian Sayin also saw action with the first unit.
