Freshman wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) catches a pass for a touchdown in the first half of the 2019 Spring Game on April 13. Gray beat Scarlet 35-17. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Managing Editor for Design
Saturday will mark 20 years and two days since Ohio State last lost a first week football game, a 24-12 defeat to Miami (Fla).
A home state is about all Florida Atlantic shares with the 1999 Miami team, which featured eventual all-time NFL greats such as Ed Reed and Reggie Wayne and Pro Bowlers such as Santana Moss and Bryant McKinnie.
Ohio State’s 27.5-point favorite status against an FAU team that went 3-5 in Conference USA in 2018 means head coach Ryan Day has the flexibility to see what some of his untested freshmen can do on the field before the stakes heighten as the season progresses.
“Everybody’s got to be ready to roll,” Day said.
In terms of game-ready true freshmen, the first two names out of Day’s mouth Thursday were wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams, both of whom he said would “probably find their way on the field at some point.”
Williams, a four-star recruit and top 15 receiver in the class of 2019 according to 247Sports, became the fourth Ohio State freshman to lose his black stripe in August.
Wilson was one of three five-star recruits in the Buckeyes’ class, and had his black stripe removed during a spring camp that culminated in a highlight-reel, outstretched, 19-yard touchdown grab in the 2019 Spring Game.
The No. 2 wide receiver in his recruiting class will have to fight for playing time behind a slew of senior receivers in Binjimen Victor, Austin Mack and K.J. Hill, who have combined for 3,152 yards and 244 receptions in their Ohio State tenures.
However, Day said special teams will be another avenue to get his freshman playmaker some touches in space.
“Based on how things shake out and how things go on Saturday, we’d like to get [Wilson] a couple of returns,” Day said.
With a rumored high ankle sprain to senior starting defensive end Jonathon Cooper, which was all but confirmed by redshirt senior defensive tackle Robert Landers on Tuesday, Day may need more minutes than anticipated from another one of his five-star freshmen.
Freshman defensive end Zach Harrison was the No. 1 recruit in the country at his position, and with a 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame at 18 years old, Harrison will get a chance to prove just how developed he is on Saturday, Day said.
“I think the defensive end position is changing every five years. The longer body types, they almost look like big basketball players now. He has that body type. He has the athleticism,” Day said.
On the other side of the line, Day said five-star freshman center Harry Miller will also likely see minutes against FAU. Miller will be instrumental in blocking for the player Day said he is most excited to see play on Saturday.
“I’m looking forward to see [junior running back J.K. Dobbins] run,” Day said. “I wanna see that. I think his approach and his demeanor after splitting reps with Mike [Weber], we talked about how he was looking for home runs. I want to see him run with his pads down.”
Dobbins and redshirt junior running back Demario McCall have been established as the No. 1 and No. 2 options, respectively, out of the backfield, but Day said his two true freshmen backs, Steele Chambers and Marcus Crowley, will get carries as well.
Day said he anticipates jitters from his team on Saturday, and not just from the freshmen. Regardless of his players’ experience, Day said performance will reflect the work put in during practice.
“Once you get into a game you’re going to fall back to your level of training, so we have to have confidence in that,” Day said. “And we will.”
