Ohio State football: It’s time to sit C.J. Stroud
By Del Barris
The Ohio State football team needs a change.
We’ve been hearing about it. He was even given a day off during preseason camp to rest it. He’s spoken of it after each of the Buckeyes’ first three games. C.J. Stroud has a shoulder problem and it may be time to sit him for a game to give it a break.
I’m not advocating benching him. Don’t misunderstand. I simply think this is a very good week to let Kyle McCord or Jack Miller (or both) handle the quarterback duties against Akron and allow Stroud and the training staff to work on getting that shoulder better.
After seeming to take a step forward against Oregon (hey folks, you don’t throw for nearly 500 yards without ability), I thought he regressed against Tulsa and his shoulder seemed to be part of that problem. Observers of the team’s pregame warmup say he has been favoring it during that time. He finished just 15 of 25 and did not look good on many throws.
An outside observer would look at Stroud’s stats to date and question why there is concern. He’s completed just over 62% of his passes for nearly a thousand yards. But, he’s struggled to hit on deep passes, and this past week his longest completion was just twenty yards.
When the passing game shortens, it allows a defense to creep up its safeties and get them involved more in stopping the run. With the emergence of TreVeyon Henderson as someone who can be a very special running back, the Buckeyes need to be able to stretch the field vertically to keep opposing safeties honest.
Ryan Day did not rule out sitting Stroud this week but said the plan is for him to practice and play on Saturday. The OSU head coach also said Stroud’s status will be discussed by the staff as the week progresses. Not exactly what I want to hear, but at least Day is leaving open the door to the possibility of resting his starting quarterback.
Rutgers is just around the corner. The Buckeyes need a healthy starter at that position going into the Big Ten season. If Stroud isn’t going to be hampered by a shoulder issue, Ryan Day needs to figure out who can lead this offense.
Next. Ohio State Football: 3 questions to answer vs. Akron. dark
My concern is he seems determined to stick with Stroud no matter what. The hope is the situation improves greatly by the time the Buckeyes travel to face the Scarlet Knights on October 2nd.