Whoever starts at quarterback for Ohio State this weekend will be making their first-ever college start, and it is happening in a massive game against USC. Talk about getting thrown right into the deep end! This isn’t just a regular Saturday, it’s a monumental clash that sees the Buckeyes facing USC for the first time in Ryan Day’s nine-year tenure as head coach. Plus, it’s their first time playing in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since way back in 2008.
The Buckeye QB Battle Heats Up Fast
The reason for all this sudden drama? Star quarterback Julian Sayin left the Buckeyes’ game against Indiana with an injured shoulder, possibly sidelining him for weeks to come. Boom, just like that, opportunity kicked open the door for two of Ohio State’s young, highly touted, but almost completely untested quarterbacks: true freshman Luke Fahey and redshirt freshman Tavien St. Clair. Fahey initially took the snaps against Indiana, but Day has made it crystal clear over the bye week and this week that the competition between these two gunslingers is still wide open.
“They’ve both been really into it and practice was good last week,” Day said Tuesday. “So we need to stack a few more days, and then we’ll kind of go into the game and figure out what gives us the best chance to win.” Day’s number one requirement for his signal caller is simple: toughness. “They’ve got to be tough. If our guys play tough, and what I mean by that is like physically, mentally and emotionally tough, that’s critical here,” he explained. “We know we’ve got to make routine plays routinely. You know, we’ve got to stay on schedule. We can’t make bad situations worse.” That’s the challenge for these young guys, right? No room for mistakes against a team like USC.
Luke Fahey: The Winner Who Finds a Way
So, let’s talk about Luke Fahey. This kid, out of Mission Viejo in California, actually won the backup job in training camp, proving he’s been putting in the work. He stepped in after Sayin’s injury against Indiana, though he threw incompletions on both his attempts in that emergency duty. Before that, Fahey had a few mop-up stints against Ball State, Kent State, and Maryland, where he tossed two touchdowns and two interceptions.
But don’t let those numbers fool you. Day and the Ohio State coaches were impressed by Fahey during his recruiting. He was a three-star recruit who led Mission Viejo to both state and area championships during his three years as a starter, piling up 7,021 yards, 68 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions. That’s some serious high school production. Sure, he’s only 5-11, but he has a quick release and the kind of mental makeup that totally appeals to the coaching staff. Day raved, “When you got a chance to meet him, you saw what the makeup was. How he looked at the game. His mental approach was in line with what you saw on the film. Everybody’s built a little bit different, but the mindset that he had was something that certainly attracted us to him.” Ryan Powell, founder of QB Cavalry and Fahey’s trainer, summed it up perfectly to Yahoo Sports, saying, “They got this aura about them, they find a way to figure it out, and that’s Luke.”
This weekend is going to be wild. With Julian Sayin on the mend, one of these young quarterbacks is going to step onto the biggest stage of their college career for their first start. The pressure is immense, the opponent is fierce, and Ohio State fans will be watching every single snap to see who answers the call. Get ready for a showdown against USC, because this decision could dictate a lot for the Buckeyes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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