The second round of the College Football Playoff is kicking off on New Year’s Eve, with the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes squaring off in the Cotton Bowl. In one of the least shocking developments ever, Michigan Wolverines legend and ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard doesn’t have a ton of good things to say about the Buckeyes heading into the matchup.
Ryan Day has taken over playcalling duties from offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, who accepted a job to become the next head coach of the USF Bulls, for the remainder of the Bucks’ season.
“We wanted to take [playcalling] off of Brian’s plate because he’s got so much going on with what he’s trying to do,” Day said, according to ESPN.
“Ultimately, it will be my decision what calls go into the game. It’s such a strange calendar and the timing is brutal. But he’s handled it great, as you can imagine. It’s a lot on his plate. It’s a lot to manage. So we’re kind of taking it day-to-day right now, just in terms of as we move forward.”
In a Wednesday morning appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Howard said that it’s a concern of his for Ohio State heading into the Playoff.
“My biggest concern was who was calling the plays. That was my biggest concern. Because I understood that their OC took the USF job, right, and so I’m like, ‘Who’s calling the plays in the Big Ten Championship Game?’ I heard it was Ryan Day,” he said, via On3.
“And now this week Heather Dinich came out and said that Ryan Day is going to call the plays in the game against Miami. So I said, ‘Well, does this mean he didn’t call it in the Big Ten Championship Game, or did he make some tweaks to the system?’ I’m not sure what happened offensively. Don’t forget, they only scored 10 points against Indiana and they were shut out in the second half.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Howard struck the nail on the head or if he is letting the Ohio State/ Michigan rivalry influence his analysis.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.