Description

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 379 Episode Notes Hosted by Mark Rogers (Voice of College Football) with Bucknuts247 Senior Editor Steve Helwagen Presented by FanDuel | OhioStateVOCFB

Show Overview

Mark and Steve discuss upcoming Big Ten Media Days, five key questions for Ryan Day (from a Pat Murphy Bucknuts piece), Ohio State’s brutal 2025 schedule, offense/tempo concerns, defensive reload, Julian Sayin’s Year 2 expectations, the Michigan game, offensive line questions, and a late recruiting note on RB David Gabriel. They also touch on personal updates (Steve’s Peach Jam trip, air quality issues) and plug Bucknuts.com + the nightly VOCFB main-channel show.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Opening & Personal Updates

• Steve reports on a successful Peach Jam trip (Augusta + Rock Hill/Charlotte area): interviewed 12 prospects in 3 days, mixed in golf in Myrtle Beach.
• Next week: Big Ten Media Days in Chicago (OSU on Wednesday; six schools per day Tue–Thu). Schedule still TBA.
• Brief talk on Canadian wildfire smoke/air quality affecting Columbus and the Northeast.

2. Big Ten Media Days Player Representation (Pat Murphy’s Question #1)

• OSU sending safety Jalen McClain, QB Julian Sayin, and WR Jeremiah Smith.
• Steve’s take: Logical choices. Media will want Sayin (coming off strong Year 1) and Smith (elite talent on pace for OSU career receiving records in yards, catches, and TDs—likely by midseason). McClain is a returning starter/Iron Buckeye.
• Alternatives discussed: Returning captains Brandon Inniss and LT Austin Sierveld; other defensive starters like Kenyatta Jackson or Jermaine Matthews. Media preference for the high-profile offensive stars makes sense, especially with both Sayin and Smith potentially in “contract years” ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft.

3. 2025 Schedule Difficulty Ranking

• Chat question from David Green Shields: Where does this OSU schedule rank historically?
• Consensus: Among the toughest (if not the toughest) in program history.
  • Road slate especially brutal: Texas (top-3 caliber), Indiana (defending national champ / top-5–6), USC (top-12–15), Iowa, Nebraska.
  • Strengthened by Pac-12 arrivals + elite Big Ten core (OSU/Oregon/Indiana expected near the top nationally).
  • Comparison to 1995 schedule (Boston College, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Washington, etc.): Very tough, but that team didn’t face the eventual Big Ten champ (Northwestern) and still finished 11-2 (lost Rose Bowl-equivalent path after Michigan loss; played Peyton Manning’s Tennessee in a rain-soaked Citrus Bowl).
  • Northwestern’s Ryan Musso later admitted they did not want to play that stacked OSU roster (Eddie George, Terry Glenn, Orlando Pace, Mike Vrabel, Shawn Springs, etc.).
• Bottom line: Challenges are spaced out but October road games (Oregon/Indiana) will be pivotal. “Take them one week at a time.”

4. Offense & Tempo (Chat Question for Ryan Day)

• Big concern from the Indiana Big Ten Championship and Miami games: OSU played slow while trailing in the fourth quarter.
  • Indiana example: Got ball at own 10 with ~10 min left, methodically drove ~80 yards (play clock often at 9–10 seconds), missed short FG, left Indiana with ~3.5 min and good field position.
  • Steve: In 50 years of watching, he’s never seen a team trailing late play that deliberately slow and still win. Result-oriented thinking doesn’t erase the process flaw.
  • Better approach: Play with urgency/tempo to create multiple scoring chances or force the opponent into mistakes with time remaining.
• Broader point: Red-zone conversion and situational execution matter more than raw numbers.

5. Defensive Reload (Pat Murphy Question)

• Replacing eight defensive starters for the second straight year, including three top-11 NFL picks (Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles) + key interior presence Caden McDonald.
• Steve: Depth is excellent (“almost too deep”) at most spots, especially linebacker (potentially three-deep). Veteran transfers/returners (Terry Moore, Errol Little Jr., Christian Aliaga, etc.) help.
• Real test comes at Texas. Last year’s unit was #1 nationally in most categories—statistically hard to top, but a top-8 ranking would still be excellent.
• Key opportunity: Generate more turnovers (last year’s interception totals were modest for such a dominant unit). Matt Patricia will be judged on how the reloaded group meshes.

6. Julian Sayin Year 2 Expectations

• 2024 stats: 77% completion (2nd in FBS history behind Bo Nix), 4th in Heisman voting.
• Caveats: Struggled in the two biggest games (Indiana/Miami)—10 sacks allowed, three turnovers including a pick-six. Blame shared with the OL.
• Spring observation: Looked sharper, bigger, stronger, with more zip. Potential for equal or better overall season, but he’ll face more quality defenses (6–7 vs. ~3 last year).
• Situational execution (third downs, red zone, clutch moments on the road) will define him more than volume stats.
• Running the ball: Only ~3.5 carries/game last year (net negative due to sacks). More designed runs (7/game for 20–30 yards) could convert third downs and open the passing game. Backup Tavian St. Clair’s spring-game arm strength gives confidence that Sayin can leave the pocket without tanking the offense.

7. Beating Michigan Twice in a Row

• Context: Michigan in flux (Kyle Whittingham arriving from Utah, AD Ward Manuel departing after Dec. 31, ongoing transparency/FOIA issues around the $12M report).
• Last year’s 28–9 win in Ann Arbor was decisive once OSU settled after an early pick and snow. Underwood must improve dramatically.
• Steve’s view: Mostly a “between the ears” issue in recent years (especially the 2024 Columbus loss as heavy favorites). Play to your standard at home; don’t play down to the competition. Day knows the stakes.

8. Offensive Line Questions

• Solid pieces: LT Austin Sierveld, LG Luke Montgomery, C Carson Hinzman.
• Right side unresolved: RT Phillip Daniels vs. Ian Moore; RG options include Daniels (if slid inside), Josh Padilla, Gabe VanSickle.
• Tegra Tshabola (weak link last year) transferred out.
• Arthur Smith + OL coach Tyler Bowen must settle the top five (and depth) in the first 2–2.5 weeks of camp. Injuries happen (Sierveld missed time vs. Miami; Moore filled in well).
• Goal: Replicate the championship-run form (Oregon/Texas/Notre Dame) rather than the late-season struggles vs. Indiana/Miami. Every other week will feel like a “biggest game.”

9. Steve’s Hypothetical “Truth Serum” Questions for Ryan Day

• Offense-focused:
  1. After 8–9 months with Arthur Smith, how good can he really be? Can he impact the offense the way Matt Patricia elevated the defense?
  2. Mixing Smith’s run-game expertise with Day’s passing background—will the scheme create the layered, complementary, “two steps ahead” attack seen under Chip Kelly in the national title run (and earlier under Tressel)?
• Broader tenure questions he’d ask: Relationship with Jim Knowles and what went wrong; working under Urban Meyer; the emotional weight of the four-year Michigan skid; how much of Meyer’s intensity rubbed off.

10. Recruiting Note – RB David Gabriel

• Announcing on CBS Sports HQ (~5:30 p.m. ET). Consensus leaning Tennessee.
• At OSU he’d be one of several strong backs (Bo Jackson returning for Year 3). Jersey-number chatter (“can’t wear #0 because of Block O”) dismissed as noise. Pay and role will decide it.

Closing Notes & Plugs

• Steve on golf form (stuck in the mid-40s; aiming for low 40s).
• Next Buckeyes Live likely Wednesday during/after Media Days (time TBD around OSU’s slot).
• Nightly VOCFB main-channel show (Mon–Fri, 9 p.m. ET)—calls and chat welcome.
• Bucknuts.com for daily content (including the Pat Murphy “5 Questions for Ryan Day” piece).
• Brief odds graphic discussion: OSU slim/decided favorite for Big Ten title over Oregon, Indiana, USC, Michigan, Penn State. Host asks chat whether Big Ten titles still matter as much in the Playoff era (historical prestige vs. national title priority).

Overall Tone: Constructive, schedule-aware optimism mixed with pointed critiques of late-season 2024 execution (tempo, OL, situational football). Emphasis on process over pure results and the value of complementary scheme under the new offensive staff.

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