The Ohio State football program is fresh off the bye week and preparing for a West Coast trip to Washington to take on the Huskies. They are hoping to have a better trip out West than they did last year when they lost to Oregon by a single point in Autzen Stadium.
As they prepare for this game, Day is looking for some guys who are ready to go for conference play. Every game from here on out in the regular season will be against a Big Ten opponent, so the Buckeyes need guys who are ready to go for the toughest part of the schedule.
One player who everyone was excited about coming into this season is defensive tackle Eddrick Houston. Houston was a starter at the beginning of the season, but hasn't been very good. He was benched for the Ohio game in favor of Tywone Malone. Ryan Day addressed what he wants out of him during his press conference.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day wants more consistency out of Eddrick Houston
While speaking during his weekly press conference, Day addressed what he wants to see specifically from Houston.
"He's just like everybody else on the team, searching for ways to be consistent in everything they do, but the ability is obviously there...We need consistency. I think that's where you first look. We've talked about this before. A guy can flash, which means he has the ability to do it. The question is, can he consistently do it? That's part of maturing as a player."
Houston had two offside penalties against Grambling State that clearly rubbed the coaching staff the wrong way. That put him in the doghouse against Ohio and led to his benching. The question is whether or not he will respond to that and have better games so he can get back in the starting lineup.
Right now, it's unclear whether he will start against Washington or not. Based on his answer, I would assume that Malone will get the nod. Houston should still see a number of snaps, as Larry Johnson likes to rotate his defensive linemen. That will be especially key during Big Ten play.
Houston is clearly a very good player, but he needs to earn trust back from the coaches. The Ohio State Buckeyes are going to need him if they plan on repeating as national champions this season. He might get back into the starting lineup sooner rather than later.