Ohio State head coach Ryan Day's job just became a lot harder after quarterback Julian Sayin left Saturday's 19-15 Buckeyes win over Indiana in Bloomington with an injury to his throwing shoulder.
OSU is 6-1, but the Buckeyes are no longer a lock to make the CFP without Sayin. It's unclear how long Sayin will be out, but Day admitted it could be at least several weeks before we see Ohio State's QB1.
Day has already accepted that things must be different now with backup-turned-emergency-starter Luke Fahey.
"We'll regroup," Day said postgame. "We've got a good team. When Luke's in there, we just may need to do things just a little bit differently, but the bye week gives us a chance to regroup on that and put our heads together."
Is Fahey the answer? It looks like Day is putting all his eggs in that basket after Fahey outplayed Tavien St. Clair in the offseason and during the program's MAC tune-ups against Ball State and Kent State in September.
Why Luke Fahey can work as Ohio State's QB1
The main complaint about Fahey is he's undersized. Frankly, that's never been an issue in college football like it is in the NFL. Troy Smith proved that two decades ago in Scarlet and Gray, and Diego Pavia proved that last year. These were Heisman candidates and, in Smith's case, a Heisman winner.
When it comes to football chops, Fahey has them. Sure, he didn't exactly prove that during his emergency reps against Indiana. With that said, while Fahey wasn't spectacular, he didn't turn the ball over.
Frankly, Fahey's ability to protect the ball is what makes him a good option. If Arthur Smith can figure out how to scheme the ball to all-world receiver Jeremiah Smith, with perhaps less of a deep attack and more of one predicated on screens and slants, this offense may be fine.
Fahey could also help boost the running game. While Sayin promised more work with his legs, he still relied on his cannon to keep the offense humming along. Fahey could make the offense more unpredictable with a healthy dose of designed quarterback runs and RPO sets. Perhaps Bo Jackson and Isaiah West could get a boost from it.
The case for Tavien St. Clair starting instead
St. Clair is the blue-chip of the bunch. Fahey was a 3-star who is beating St. Clair because of his work ethic. It's not as though Fahey was ever the franchise quarterback of the future.
He is earning the chance to prove that. Still, if St. Clair steps up over the next two weeks and shows he has the stuff to start, Day shouldn't be afraid to pivot.
Day's future is on the line with this choice. If he proves he never had a plan in the event Sayin went down, fans could come with pitchforks looking for a better situational coach. Day is a recruiting genius, but he's had the talent to win more meaningful games than he has.
He got the Indiana weight off his back, but it's time for him to prove he has the Buckeyes' depth in line. Especially at the most important position on the field.
Fans will beg for someone who could if Day fails to successfully manage the quarterback position down the stretch here.
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