The Buckeye head coach will have his decisions questioned for the foreseeable future.
Any time a team loses a big game, decisions made by the head coach will be questioned. Those decisions are amped up in a matchup of undefeated rivals with the season on the line.
That was the case on Saturday afternoon when No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan met in Ann Arbor, with the winner heading to the Big Ten Championship Game next weekend and all but securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines won the game 30-24, and head coach Ryan Day, who lost his third straight game to the Maize and Blue, was criticized for his choices throughout the game.
The first came on the Buckeyes’ second offensive possession of the game. The Scarlet and Gray reached their own 46-yard line before getting stopped one yard short to set up fourth-and-one. There wasn’t much hesitancy by Day, who sent the punt team onto the field.
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The idea with that decision was to pin the Maize and Blue deep and rely on the defense, which had been one of the best in the country this season and forced a three-and-out on the first Michigan possession, to get another stop. Jesse Mirco‘s punt against the wind went just 33 yards, and the Wolverines began the drive on their own 21-yard line. The Maize and Blue did quickly punt, but it was a 71-yarder, and quarterback Kyle McCord threw an interception, leading to Michigan’s first touchdown.
Day was faced with another decision just before halftime. Trailing 14-10 and 39 seconds left in the half, Ohio State had fourth-and-two at the Wolverines’ 34-yard line. Day decided to run down the clock and attempt a 52-yard field goal.
“Well, I felt like at 52 yards, it was worth a field goal there,” he explained. “It was fourth-and-two or fourth-and-three. If you don’t get the fourth down, you get no points. I felt like it was worth the opportunity to kick the field goal there. I felt that was the right move.”
Day called a timeout with three seconds left in the half before sending kicker Jayden Fielding out for the attempt. With a career long of 47 yards, Fielding hit his first attempt, but the Maize and Blue called a timeout. His second attempt went just wide.
“I thought we had an opportunity to kick a 52-yarder,” Day continued his explanation. “I thought that was the right thing to do to get some points at the end of the half, especially starting on the 2-yard line. I thought it was the right move. If you make it, you feel great. If you don’t, you don’t.”
With time on the clock, the Buckeyes could have gone for it on fourth down to try and make it a shorter kick for Fielding to cut the lead to one. They also could have pushed for a touchdown to take a lead before halftime. Day instead went for the long field goal.
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This was more difficult to swallow as Michigan converted two fourth downs earlier in the half and benefitted from acting head coach Sherrone Moore‘s aggressiveness, going three-for-three in those situations in the game.
“We missed it, and so certainly we will second guess everything,” Day said. “If you don’t convert on that fourth-and-two, fourth-and-three, you don’t get anything. I thought at that time it was the right move.”
Had Fielding made the kick, the conversation quickly changes. The decision is considered smart, as the Scarlet and Gray cut the lead to one and have momentum going into halftime.
The miss didn’t cost Ohio State the game, but it will be easy to question retrospectively.
Buckeyes crush Santa Clara 86-56 to claim Emerald Coast Classic championship
“It was a really good effort by our guys,” OSU coach Chris Holtmann said. “I am really proud of them because it was not an easy thing to turn around after an emotional win last night after a good Alabama team. I thought the things we have to hang our hat on this season we were able to do that in the tournament and that has to continue.”
Senior forward Jamison Battle led the charge for the Buckeyes (5-1) with a season high 21 points. He was 8 of 18 from the floor, including 5 of 10 on threes.
“We needed it, too, with Roddy (Gayle) having two fouls,” Holtmann said. “We needed his confidence. He had a look in his eye tonight. It felt like he was in a good rhythm. We tried to run some things for him.”
Guard Bruce Thornton followed a career-high 29-point game against Alabama by scoring 13 points and adding seven assists and five rebounds in this one.
Backup guard Dale Bonner was 2 of 3 on threes and had 11 points for OSU.
Center Zed Key had 10 points and five rebounds, doing most of that damage in the second half.
Center Felix Okpara added eight points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Guard Roddy Gayle, who had 23 points against Alabama, was limited by foul trouble but finished with eight points and four rebounds.
“We are getting contributions from a lot of different guys,” Holtmann said. “Zed continues to give us a lift off the bench, as do Dale and Scotty (Middleton) and other guys. It’s such a long season. We have to keep getting better.”
OSU hit an impressive 46 percent of its three-point tries (13 of 28).
The Buckeyes held Santa Clara, which had been averaging over 80 points per game, to 38 percent shooting overall from the floor.
“That’s what we have to hang our hat on this year,” Holtmann said. “I’m sure they are tired of me talking about it. It’s just an area where we had to get better in the last couple of years. We have made some strides, but we’re not there yet.”
The Buckeyes gradually built their lead in the first half, going ahead by as many as 13 points in the first half before settling for a 34-26 halftime lead. Battle had 16 of his points in the first half.
Ohio State then pulled away from Santa Clara and led by as many as 33 points in the second half.
Coming off a difficult season last year, Holtmann was glad his team got to enjoy itself on this trip to Florida.
“I’m so happy for Zed and our sophomores who didn’t even get to experience a mini championship like this is,” Holtmann said. “When you play in these environments where there is a trophy in the end, it matters. That’s why you play in these type tournaments.”
The Buckeyes will be back home at Value City Arena on Wednesday night against Central Michigan (7 p.m., Big Ten Network).
Potential quarterback transfers in college football’s upcoming 2024 portal cycle
After batting .900 in projecting QB transfers last cycle, we’re back again for the 2024 crop — and casting a FAR wider net.
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It’s time to run that article back this fall, and we’re really expanding our net with the quarterback rooms. Can we be nearly perfect again? The transfer portal will officially open Dec. 4. We’ll find out soon enough.
There was open quarterback competition at Georgia to replace Stetson Bennett before this season, and Carson Beck won the job. Beck has done some nice things this year, and the job is his if he wants it in 2024. Beck could also keep up his hot play and be a mid-round draft pick in 2024, but he probably wouldn’t mind another season piloting one of college football’s best programs.
Third-year quarterback Brock Vandagriff and second-year quarterback Gunner Stockton are behind Beck. They were each highly-ranked and highly-recruited. Vandagriff looks like the second option this season on the depth chart and has played a little. It seems likely that one of them takes off for a chance to start next year, regardless of what Beck does. Vandagriff was honest during fall camp that he had thought about entering the transfer portal before electing to return in 2023.
A complicated situation in Austin was made even more complex this week. Texas starter Quinn Ewers was “week to week” with an injury, thrusting Maalik Murphy into starting. There are a lot of things at play and I’m fascinated to see how head coach Steve Sarkisian navigates this tightrope.
Is there a chance that Ewers comes back for another season? We think so. Ewers graduated high school early and should only be a sophomore this year. He needs to put together a balanced season of production and decision making. Plus, the 2024 NFL Draft class is loaded and the ’25 class is not.
Behind Ewers is where it gets interesting. Murphy is a talented thrower and showed he could start at number of schools with the passing display he put on in the spring game. In fact, several SEC and Big Ten programs were interested in his services. The Longhorns were able to keep him. Now Murphy gets a few weeks to showcase what he can do — whether that’s for Texas, or for another program.
There’s also Arch Manning, the No. 1 recruit in 2023. His future is bright.
If Ewers returns, we believe that sends Murphy hits the portal (Manning stays in almost every conceivable scenario, I think). If Ewers leaves, Sarkisian is likely to drag out a Murphy-Manning quarterback battle through fall camp, regardless of how Murphy fares this fall.
There’s some serious turmoil at Clemson and five-star, second-year quarterback Cade Klubnik hasn’t been as good as advertised. Klubnik hasn’t been exactly “bad,” so we don’t want to be overly harsh, but I’m not sure if Klubnik is the quarterback who can bring Clemson back to being a dominant program. He’s trying to do too much now behind a bad offensive line and with a very limited crop of skill talent.
There’s been some major confusion between Klubnik and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley at critical times during this season. There have also been some pointed comments made by coach Dabo Swinney about Klubnik’s decision-making, which is unusual for Swinney. We’ll see how the rest of the year turns out but we don’t think it would surprise many if Klubnik decided a fresh start was needed.
The Alabama quarterback situation was a roller coaster earlier this season, with three quarterbacks battling for the job. Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, and Tyler Buchner all got a crack at playing time before the Tide settled with Milroe after underwhelming showings by the other two at USF. It will be interesting to see whether Alabama wants to stick with Milroe in 2024 or have another open quarterback battle, which could absolutely involve a portal prospect to be determined later.
Milroe is somewhat limited in terms of opening up the passing game, but he’s hit downfield targets at a consistent clip. His teammates seem to love him. Second-year freshman Ty Simpson came in 2022 as a highly touted prospect from Tennessee and could look elsewhere for greener pastures. Class of 2023 four-star Dylan Lonergan got rave reviews in fall camp (his classmate Eli Holstein is also in the room) and five-star Julian Sayin is on the way in 2024.
It’s been a down year for Baylor, especially at the quarterback position. Starter Blake Shapen has been banged up, and the Bears have also played Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson and junior signal-caller RJ Martinez. Robertson has really struggled and only completed 50% of his throws while at quarterback, and Martinez only 52%. Shapen hasn’t played extremely well, either. It’s safe to say that there will be some serious changes in Waco as coach Dave Aranda tries to correct course. Expect one or more quarterbacks to enter the portal.
Junior quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has had some ups and downs in 2023 and could surely come back next season in hopes to improve his draft stock. Behind Van Dyke are second-year signal caller Jaccurri Brown and true freshman Emory Williams. Williams won the backup job this year and willed Miami to a victory over Clemson in Week 8. If Van Dyke doesn’t return, then Brown and Williams will battle for the job, which could lead to one transferring (though Williams is already clearly ahead of Brown, and a year younger to boot). We’ll see what happens with Van Dyke as the back half of the season plays out.
TCU’s starting quarterback coming into the season, Chandler Morris, hasn’t performed as those in Fort Worth thought he would (remember, Morris also began the 2022 season as the starter over eventual Heisman finalist Max Duggan).
Morris ultimately been underwhelming, with a few sparkles of quality play sprinkled in. Morris can be categorized as oft-injured at this point of his career and is currently dealing with an MCL sprain, which led the Horned Frogs to Josh Hoover at quarterback. The redshirt freshman has had some big games, throwing for 439 yards and four scores in a win over BYU. He followed that up with a tough performance in a 41-3 loss to Kansas State (23 of 43, 187 yards, 1 INT). Hoover has also thrown a concerning amount of interceptions. Such is the life of a redshirt freshman.
TCU has a tough decision to make in the future and Sonny Dykes has got to get this team back on track, which could lead to one of the quarterbacks mentioned hitting the portal.
Arizona starting quarterback Jayden de Laura hasn’t played in nearly a month because of injury. De Laura has played at a high level at times, has also been somewhat inconsistent and is turnover-prone. Redshirt freshman Noah Fifita has filled in for de Laura and has made a wonderful splash. In three weeks, he threw eight touchdowns and two interceptions with 73% completions. He engineered a 44-6 victory over No. 19 Washington State in Week 6 and also took USC to the brink.
Head coach Jedd Fisch has a tough decision to make going forward and there’s also former four-star freshman Brayden Dorman behind those two. However it plays out, there’s likely to be some sort of shakeup in the group (remember, though, that, as a former transfer already, de Laura needs to be eligible as a graduate transfer if he wants to play elsewhere immediately). The good news for Arizona is that it’s bound to get good quarterback play in 2024.
Kyle McCord has the quarterback job on lock, winning the job earlier this fall and playing at a solid level through most of the games. Redshirt freshman Devin Brown battled it out with McCord and has seen some situational playing time in the red zone. McCord has several seasons of eligibility remaining and is not currently an imminent NFL Draft prospect, so the job will be his for a while.
After giving it his best shot, Brown is likely to hit the transfer portal and look elsewhere for greener pastures and a featured role. As a highly-touted recruit, he will have a ton of options (worth filing away that he’s a Utah native?). Brown has also been banged up and expected to miss several weeks with a leg injury sustained against Penn State.
Missouri had an intense quarterback battle this fall and redshirt junior Brady Cook came out on top and has played very well overall this year. Cook has secured the position and has another year of eligibility remaining, which he is likely to exercise.
Behind Cook is redshirt freshman Sam Horn, a highly touted prospect from Georgia who is also a very talented baseball player. He profiles as a major league pitching prospect and honestly might be to the point where he chooses baseball over football, for good reason. Redshirt sophomore transfer Jake Garcia is also listed behind Horn and has already used his transfer freebie.
Luke Altmyer and Illinois haven’t had the marriage we expected. In my opinion, there needs to be a change at the quarterback position entering the 2024 season, though this is less about Altmyer leaving — he already transferred in from Ole Miss and would need to graduate to be eligible elsewhere — and more about the fact that Bret Bielema can’t stand pat here.
Behind Altmyer, there’s senior John Paddock and second-year signal-caller Donovan Leary. There’s several different scenarios that could happen with Illinois quarterback room, but I’m calling for some major changes to the group in 2024.
Jeff Sims was a huge offseason acquisition for Nebraska and new head coach Matt Rhule. Sims began the season as the starter for the Huskers but struggled mightily in his first two outings, tossing four interceptions, one touchdown. He also had several fumbles.
On the verge of being benched, Sims was injured in Week 3 and relieved by sophomore Heinrich Haarberg. He has done some great things with his legs. Is Haarberg the quarterback of the future for Nebraska? Taylor Martinez comparisons aside, it’s tough to say, but there will surely be some change in the quarterback room at Nebraska. And for that reason, this situation feels an awful lot like Illinois’, where it doesn’t really matter who leaves but more so matters if anybody of higher quality can come in.
Florida State transfer Chubba Purdy — yes, the younger brother of Brock — is also on the roster.
The UCLA quarterback situation is intriguing. Freshman Dante Moore won the job a couple weeks into the season over junior signal-caller Ethan Garbers, who started the season as the guy. Since then, Moore has looked less than stellar and tossed six interceptions over the course of three games. Moore has seven picks and 10 touchdown passes this year. Garbers has started since.
The Bruins also have Kent State transfer Collin Schlee in the room and he has seen some tick, mainly as a runner. Garbers could perhaps start the rest of the 2023 season, but this is Moore’s room in the long run. Garbers ought to use this season as an exhibition for other QB-needy teams, while Schlee has another season of eligibility and can also leave.
Starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis entered the season with high expectations for the Gophers but has been prone to turnovers and inconsistent in completion rate. The Gophers might look elsewhere in the future for production the position.
Also on the roster is redshirt senior Cole Kramer and true freshman Drew Viotto. Something is likely to change at the position for 2024.
Iowa is 6-2 this season and second in the Big Ten West. You can thank defense and special teams for that effort. The quarterback position hasn’t been the bright spot for Iowa, with Cade McNamara going down with a season-ending injury after a dismal start. He only completed 51% of his throws and tossed four touchdowns with three interceptions. Enter sophomore Deacon Hill, who has an even lower completion rate over the season. Iowa has underclassmen Joey Labas and Marco Lainez also on the roster, but neither has thrown a pass this year.
There’s a lot of change that needs to happen for Iowa in 2024. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another musical chairs situation at quarterback. McNamara might deserve better, but at the same time, I can see why staying in the Big Ten and maintaining a starting role would be intriguing to him.
Sophomore quarterback Mitch Griffis has been a bit of a disappointment for Wake Forest in replacing Sam Hartman, who transferred to Notre Dame. Griffis went out with an injury in Week 8 and freshman Santino Marucci filled in and guided the Demon Deacons to a win, although he didn’t play particularly well. There’s also backup junior quarterback Michael Kern on the roster. Is Griffis the quarterback of the future for Wake Forest?
Yikes, do the Wolfpack have some heavy decisions to make as far as the future of the quarterback position. Senior transfer Brennan Armstrong started off the year and didn’t impress, so the past few games they opted to go with sophomore MJ Morris at quarterback. Morris showed some signs of promise as a freshman in 2022, but his 2023 season has yielded mixed results.
There’s also freshman signal-caller Lex Thomas on the roster.
Editor’s note: Morris is redshirting the rest of the 2023 season, Pack Pride reported Nov. 7, at 12:25 p.m. ET.
Starting quarterback Conner Weigman went down with injury after starting the season with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s looked like a future first-round draft pick and should put up huge numbers next fall. After Weigman’s injury, Max Johnson was inserted as the starter and just hasn’t been at his best. A transfer from LSU two cycles ago, had some tough outings and only completed 47% of his throws against Tennessee. It might be wise for Johnson to weigh his options with highly touted freshman Marcel Reed behind him, assuming Johnson has a degree.
Editor’s note: Johnson entered the portal as a graduate transfer, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz reported Nov. 26 at 3:16 p.m. ET.
There’s likely to be a considerable shakeup at quarterback for Arizona State in 2024. Highly touted freshman Jaden Rashada started the season for the Sun Devils but has been out the last five games with injury. Rashada has shown next-level arm talent and ability early on but he wasn’t perfect as you’d expect from a freshman. He appears to be the future for the Sun Devils which leaves Drew Pyne (a 2023 transfer from Notre Dame) and Jacob Conover, as well as junior signal-caller Trenton Bourguet on the roster. Those quarterbacks will have a lot to figure out in terms of staying to compete or looking for a starting role elsewhere.
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
Junior Noah Kim started the season for Michigan State but was considerably ineffective throughout five games, tossing six interceptions and six touchdowns, and completing 56% of his throws. Interim head coach Harlon Barnett opened up the quarterback position and Katin Houser took over for the Spartans. Houser didn’t exactly lit the world on fire in his two starts, completing 58% of his throws, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Four-star true freshman Sam Leavitt has taken some snaps this year as well. Look for some movement in the quarterback room for Michigan State after a tough season and a new head coach in 2024.
UTAH UTES
The Utes have struggled to find a rhythm on offense at the quarterback position. Senior Cam Rising is out for the season with injury but could get a medical redshirt to return in 2024 as the Utes transition to the Big 12. Tough-as-nails junior Bryson Barnes and speed dynamo freshman Nate Johnson have split time at quarterback but neither have been outstanding passing the football. With Rising possibly coming back and freshman Mack Howard and Brandon Rose on the roster, there is bound to be some shakeup in the group.
Editor’s note: Rising announced his return to Utah for the 2024 season Nov. 19.
Will Rogers is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal, sources tell 247Sports national college football reporter Matt Zenitz.
In 43 games from 2020-23, Rogers completed 1,301 of 1,876 passes (69%) for 12,315 yards and 94 touchdowns to 28 interceptions.
“Rogers graduated from Mississippi State in May, so he would be able to enter the transfer portal at any point as a graduate transfer,” Zenitz wrote in a breaking report published Friday, Nov. 24, at 8:29 a.m. ET. “However, all Mississippi State undergraduate players are able to enter the transfer portal even before the portal window officially opens Dec. 4 because of (Zach) Arnett being fired Nov. 13.”
