Ohio State football is finally back this weekend, as they will take on Ball State. While this isn't the non-conference game that has a lot of hype, it's still an important one. It will be Senior Day, and the Buckeyes will also be honoring Jim Tressel as he gets put in the Ring of Honor.
This will be the first time that the fans have gotten to see the Buckeyes since the Spring Game. In that game, a couple of freshmen played well, and the hype around them has only grown. Now, Ryan Day has confirmed that both Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd will play significant snaps on Saturday.
Ryan Day says Ohio State will play both freshmen receivers plenty of snaps in Week 1
During his first game-week press conference of the year, Day confirmed that both Henry Jr. and Boyd will be playing a lot of snaps on Saturday afternoon.
"We're going to put the best guys on the field. If guys are playing at a certain level that they deserve to play and be starters, then we can roll guys as well. I think that is the case here. Some of the guys are younger, so they're going to have to play through the freshman, the beginning growing pains that go with it. If they just play the way they've been practicing, they're going to get into a rhythm really, really fast. I expect those guys to play. I expect Chris to play. I expect Brock to play."
Both freshmen have been doing a lot since they stepped on campus in the Spring to earn the playing time that they will get in Week 1. Henry Jr. was expected to do that since he was a five-star recruit. Boyd has been more of a surprise, and he has been getting hyped up for months now.
Ohio State will play a lot of different players against Ball State
Getting the starters rolling early is going to be important for Day and his staff to see. However, the Buckeyes will be playing a lot of different guys in this first game of the year. With it being such a lopsided matchup, there will be plenty of backups getting reps.
Day mentioned that he also wants to get Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey into the game if they can. They are still battling for the backup quarterback spot. It doesn't sound like that battle is finished yet, although a solid game for one of them against the Cardinals could lift them ahead of the other.
Ohio State knows that there are bigger games on the horizon, but Day is making sure his team doesn't overlook Ball State. They want to execute well now so that they have the confidence to do so against Texas next week in Austin, which has major College Football Playoff implications.
A strong performance from Henry Jr. and Boyd would allow Day to be more confident in having them both play significant roles in that game against the Longhorns.
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