Ohio State Football: Confidence level against Minnesota
By Eric Boggs
Coaching Staff Confidence Level – 10
Ryan Day has had to make many difficult decisions this season, and if Ohio State’s record is any indication of how well those decisions have played out, he has judged correctly. No decision was any greater than choosing to go with Kyle McCord over Devin Brown as the starting quarterback for this season. Although McCord hasn’t played flawlessly, he has played well enough to lead the Buckeyes to a perfect 10-0 record.
Take that decision and compare it to some of the ones Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck has made this year and you will see why Ohio State is undefeated and the Gophers are 5-5. Fleck’s inability to get beyond his desire to run the football and control the clock despite all the injuries the running back room in Minnesota has been hit with has been super frustrating to the Gopher fanbase, who are becoming increasingly more frustrated with Fleck.
It’s apparent that Minnesota’s best offensive weapons are wide receiver Daniel Jackson and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. Whether it’s Fleck’s distrust in quarterback Athan Kallakmanis to get them the football, or his inability to get beyond his desire to play the style of game that doesn’t suit his team this season, Fleck remains steadfast in his desire to run the football.
That decision has cost the Gophers dearly this season, who have losses to North Carolina, Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois, and Purdue, with those last two coming in back-to-back weeks knocking the Gophers out of contention to win the Big Ten West.
Given Day’s growth as a coach and willingness to change his play calls based on matchups and perceived strengths and weaknesses when compared to Fleck, I am at a perfect confidence score of 10 for this category.