Oct. 29—COLUMBUS — The starting offensive line Ohio State takes into its next big game of the 2024 season remains to be seen.
Head coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that Zen Michalski (leg injury) has not been ruled out yet as the fourth-ranked Buckeyes begin preparations for a trip to Penn State, where they will take on the third-ranked Nittany Lions.
If Michalski is healthy, he will make his second straight start at left tackle, where he is replacing Josh Simmons, who suffered a season-ending knee injury at Oregon on Oct. 12.
If Michalski can’t go, left guard Donovan Jackson could move out to tackle. He would be replaced by sophomore Luke Montgomery or redshirt freshman Austin Siereveld.
Siereveld, a Lakota East grad, started at left guard when Jackson was injured the first two games of the season, and he has been sharing playing time at right guard with Lakota West grad Tegra Tshabola since Jackson’s return.
“You’ve got to put the best lineup out there and have enough to not only just win this game but be able to play the rest of the season,” Day said. “So you’ve got to think of a short-term plan and then you’ve got to come up with a long-term plan. So we’ll do everything we can to win this game and that’s what the focus is right now.”
Although Michalski appeared to struggle with Nebraska edge rushers before he was injured late in Ohio State’s 21-17 win Saturday, Day indicated the staff likes the prospect of plugging him in without disrupting the rest of the lineup.
“We’re not going to all of a sudden radically change what we do,” Day said. “We just have to move some things around if Zen can’t go and then continue to do what we’ve been doing.”
Whoever is in the lineup, the Buckeyes will look for a much better performance than they received last time out.
Quarterback Will Howard was hurried frequently, and the running game struggled to find any traction most of the afternoon.
Day attributed that to multiple factors, including failing to identify the right people to block at times in Nebraska’s shifting 3-3-5 set.
“Zen did get beat on a few of them there, but it wasn’t just him,” Day said. There were some other things that were mixed in there.”
As usual, Penn State has a stout front four headlined by ends Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton and tackle Zane Durant.
The Nittany Lions are eighth in the country in rushing yards allowed (93 per game) but just 78th in sacks (14).
“It’ll be a challenge for our guys, so we’ve got to have a great week of preparation,” Day said. “And I think our guys are going to be fired up to play in this game, and I think it’s a great challenge for our guys up front coming off of last week.”
Ohio State ran the ball well its first five games but was held to 141 yards at Oregon and had just 64 last week against Nebraska.
Penn State has held the Buckeyes below 100 yards rushing in back-to-back matchups but has been held under 100 yards itself four o the last five seasons.
Key to containing the Nittany Lions on the ground could be the return of Lathan Ransom, a fifth-year senior safety who missed the Nebraska game with an unidentified injury.
Day sounded optimistic he will be back in the lineup this weekend.
Jordan Hancock replaced Ransom at deep safety when the Buckeyes had their 4-2-5 set on the field while Jaylen McClain assumed the role in the 4-3 set.
Hancock normally plays Nickel in the 4-2-5, so Lorenzo Styles Jr. took his spot there against the Cornhuskers.
“We’re excited to get a full week of practice out of Lathan,” Day said. “So we’ll kind of see again how the week goes with him, but good to know that we built some depth back there.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Ohio State at Penn State, Noon, FOX, 1410
