Day seeks clean opener as No. 1 Ohio State hosts Ball State with Texas on the horizon

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Even though Ohio State fans are anticipating next week's top five matchup against Texas, Ryan Day has more than a few things he is looking for the top-ranked Buckeyes to accomplish in the opener against Ball State.

“The first thing you want to do is you want to play clean. We can control everything that happens before the snap. Then we've got to play with great fundamentals, take care of the football, and then be smart post-snap. I said it before, great teams don’t beat themselves,” Day said. "Then the second thing is establishing a certain identity of playing really hard, tough, and then playing smart football and doing our job."

The Buckeyes (12-2 last season) are 50 1/2-point favorites on Saturday as they begin their pursuit of a second national championship in three years. The Cardinals are one of the few lightweights on a regular-season schedule that includes six teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 , including a trip to the No. 5 Longhorns on Sept. 12.

“It’s also we got to take this one game at a time, and right now it’s Ball State,” offensive lineman Carson Hinzman said. “For us to have a really competitive schedule, I think it’s really important to us because it shows like, look, we’ve worked so hard for this moment.”

Even though there is a tougher slate on tap, Day wants to see what his team's strengths are rather than worry about what plays he might save for down the road. Even though quarterback Julian Sayin and All-American wide receiver Jeremiah Smith are back, this is the first game for Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator after two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Buckeyes also have eight new starters on defense after they led the nation in total defense last season.

Ball State — which has 59 newcomers — looks to bounce back from a 4-8 campaign as it faces an AP No. 1 team for the second time. It lost to Georgia 45-3 in 2023.

“The first challenge is they obviously have good players all over the place, so you have to pick your spots defensively. They’re a completely different defense on third down, so we have to hopefully stay out of third-and-longs as best we can,” coach Mike Uremovich said. "Then there’s the environment. All of that will test us.”

Ohio State has one of its deepest receiving groups. Smith and Brandon Inniss are the top two, but highly-touted freshmen Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd are also vying for playing time.

“Some of the guys are younger, so they’re going to have to play through some of the beginning growing pains that come with it. But if they just practice or they just play the way that they’ve been practicing, they’re going to get into a rhythm fast,” Day said.

Day said Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey are splitting snaps with the second team with the possibility of both seeing action depending on how everything goes.

St. Clair is a sophomore and got in one game last season while Fahey is a freshman. Lincoln Kienholz was the No. 2 QB last year but transferred to Louisville, where he won the starting spot.

It may be tough not to keep your eyes off Ball State quarterback Keldric Luster, who will be making his first college start. Ball State's game notes describe the 5-foot-10, 250-pound Texas State transfer as resembling “a sturdy, tough-to-tackle bowling ball.”

The dual-threat signal caller played in seven games at SMU in 2023 and '24 and two at Texas State last season.

Jim Tressel, who coached Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, will be the third coach added to Ohio Stadium’s Ring of Honor. He led the Buckeyes from 2001-10, which also included title game appearances in 2006 and ’07.

Ohio’s Lt. Governor joins Paul Brown and Woody Hayes as the other coaches in the Ring of Honor.

Saturday's game will also be Ohio State's senior day. Day moved it up because he didn't want another perceived distraction during Michigan week.

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