The Ohio State Buckeyes had to play their first game with a backup quarterback last weekend. Luke Fahey had to start instead of Julian Sayin. Ryan Day made it clear that Sayin wasn't close to coming back. It will likely be Fahey for the rest of the season, and Ohio State needs him to play well.
Fahey didn't play extraordinarily well in his first start, but he wasn't expected to. As a true freshman, he was expecting to get more help from his team. A former Buckeye believes that Fahey has what it takes to be a star, and he isn't giving up. C.J. Stroud thinks Fahey has a chance to be a star, given time.
C.J. Stroud gives Buckeye fans a reason to believe in Luke Fahey
When asked about his alma mater losing to USC, Stroud says he saw some good things that Fahey was able to do against the Trojans.
"I think they have a great chance. One thing that Coach Day always preaches is fight. It's never as bad as it seems or as good as it might seem. I believe that culture there. We're built on culture. It's Ohio against the world. I think Luke Fahey's going to be a great quarterback."
Fahey was only able to pass for 260 yards. Normally, that would be fine. However, the defense was not helpful, and the Buckeyes lost to the Trojans 30-18. It was a disappointing debut for Fahey, but it wasn't his fault. He played about as well as could be expected.
Of course, the Buckeyes have a lot to work on. Defensively, they were not able to stop USC from having multiple big plays. Of course, they have issues with special teams, too. The punting game has been a disaster all year long, and that doesn't seem like it's going to change anytime soon.
Ohio State has a chance to turn the narrative around on Saturday afternoon
A win against the Ducks on Saturday afternoon would be a great way for the Buckeyes to turn their season around. In fact, it would help them possibly get back into a position of strength for the national championship. Ohio State also needs Fahey to go up a level.
Stroud thinks that it is possible for him to do just that. Of course, it's going to take a lot of work and help from the coaches to get him to do that quickly. Fahey was supposed to sit and observe this season. Instead, he has been thrust into a starting role that was supposed to be Sayin's all year long.
Ohio State still has a chance to turn this into another situation as the 2024 team had. Ohio State won the national championship that season and was able to rally in the face of adversity. This adversity might be worse, as they don't have their starting quarterback.
Stroud knows what it means to face adversity while at Ohio State. He had that problem in 2022 after a loss to TTUN. Had Noah Ruggles hit a long field goal, he would've won a national title, too.
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