Ohio State tried something unusual for its season opener against Ball State: it held senior day before the first kickoff of the year.
That kind of recognition is usually reserved for the final home game, but the Buckeyes moved the celebration to Sept. 5 so Ryan Day’s team can keep the focus on Michigan when that rivalry game comes around. Day said the decision started with administration, then turned into a longer discussion about what made sense for the program.
“The traditions here at Ohio State are significant and very, very strong, and something that we all respect. And what we don’t want to do is do anything that’s going to disrupt any of those traditions.
But when we look at all the things that go on that [rivalry] weekend, the way things have changed, there are some things that we thought about. The first thing was, we want to keep much of the focus on the game, and the more distractions we have - there’s already enough distractions during that week - so this was just one more thing that we felt like we could move,” Day said.
He added that the seniors were asked for their thoughts before anything was finalized.
“So, what we did was bring it to the seniors to see what their take on it was, because we didn’t want to do it without their support. And I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they all nodded quickly and said, ‘Yeah, I think that’s a great idea.’ So, we went with it, and we think it’s going to allow us an opportunity to really recognize them early in the season and then focus on the games.”
Not everyone saw the move as harmless. Some fans took it as a sign Ohio State was playing it cautious, with criticism spreading online and the word “soft” getting thrown around. Others backed the decision, saying it made sense to get a game under the belt before the tougher stretch begins.
“I always thought Ryan Day was soft, but credit to him. He just proved I was right,” one fan said.
“Fully support this,” a second fan commented. “This way everyone is healthy.
Get a game under the belt before the gauntlet starts. Hope this filters through NCAA or whatever semiprofessional league we call this now.”
“Michigan living rent free,” another fan declared.
“So scared of losing to Michigan that they had to switch senior day,” a social media user replied.
Ohio State has lost its last two home games against Michigan, and the Buckeyes are clearly aiming to change that when Nov. 28 arrives.
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