Advertise on podcast: The Buckeye Weekly Podcast

Ohio State suddenly has a midseason quarterback competition, and Tavien St. Clair is getting his opportunity to make a move. On this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss whether St. Clair can overtake Luke Fahey and become Ohio State’s starting quarterback following the injury to Julian Sayin. Ryan Day confirmed that both quarterbacks will get work with the first-team offense during the bye week. Fahey won the backup job during fall camp and has remained ahead of St. Clair, but Ohio State now has a rare opportunity to evaluate both quarterbacks with the starters before making a decision for USC. Tony and Tom discuss what St. Clair would have to show in a very short window, whether his physical upside could factor into Ryan Day’s decision, and whether Ohio State should be thinking simply about beating USC or about which quarterback gives the Buckeyes the best chance to compete for a national championship. 0:30 — Ohio State has a midseason quarterback battle 1:02 — Can Tavien St. Clair win the starting job? 2:31 — Why this is an important opportunity for St. Clair 3:57 — Ryan Day explains how Ohio State will handle the competition 6:16 — How much ground does St. Clair have to make up? 8:11 — What happens if Fahey and St. Clair are even? 9:51 — Why Luke Fahey remains the favorite 10:57 — Could Ohio State prefer a Tavien St. Clair offense? 13:07 — What St. Clair must do to win the job If this weren’t a bye week, Day indicated that Ohio State would essentially have to move forward immediately with Fahey. Instead, St. Clair gets several practices with the first-team offense to show how much progress he has made since falling behind Fahey during fall camp. The fascinating question is what happens if St. Clair makes the competition close. Fahey has demonstrated a better command of the offense to this point, but St. Clair brings intriguing physical tools and potentially a different ceiling. If St. Clair can erase the gap during this week of practice, Tony believes those traits could make Ryan Day’s decision considerably more difficult. Tom still expects Fahey to take the first snap against USC, but with St. Clair finally getting meaningful work alongside Ohio State’s starters — including Jeremiah Smith — this may be his best opportunity yet to prove he should be the guy. Subscribe to the Buckeye Insiders YouTube channel for more Ohio State football coverage, and join the conversation at BuckeyeInsiders.com.

With Julian Sayin sidelined, Ohio State may be turning the offense over to true freshman Luke Fahey. On this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr take a closer look at what Fahey can realistically bring to the Buckeyes — and why the version of him fans saw against Indiana may not be the version they see against USC. Tony and Tom discuss Fahey’s background, why he climbed the depth chart so quickly, how Ohio State can tailor the offense to his strengths, and why his mobility could actually change the running game and help the offensive line. They also break down the challenges USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson could present, how much Ohio State should simplify the offense, and whether Fahey’s lack of experience should outweigh the physical and mental tools that helped him win the backup job. 0:00 — Could Luke Fahey actually be good? 1:32 — The tools are there, but how quickly can he adapt? 2:57 — Why the Indiana game shouldn’t define Fahey 5:25 — Why he should look different against USC 7:33 — How quickly Fahey passed Tavien St. Clair 9:35 — What USC may throw at a true freshman quarterback 12:32 — How Fahey could change Ohio State’s running game 14:47 — How Jeremiah Smith can help a young quarterback 15:40 — What should fans expect from Luke Fahey? Fahey was a three-star prospect, but he had offers from Oregon, Indiana and Stanford and played in a high-level passing offense in high school. Tony argues that his rapid climb from behind Tavien St. Clair in the spring to the No. 2 quarterback by the end of fall camp says a lot about how quickly he has picked up Ohio State’s offense. Tom also explains why the Ohio State offense could look different with Fahey — including more movement, quicker decisions, designed quarterback runs and opportunities to escape pressure that might help a struggling offensive line. And while Fahey struggled in a difficult spot against Indiana, Tony points out that he is still 9-of-13 for 203 yards with two touchdowns on the season, and that one poor emergency appearance shouldn’t necessarily define what he can become with a full game plan built around him. Subscribe to the Buckeye Insiders YouTube channel for more Ohio State football coverage, and join the conversation at BuckeyeInsiders.com.

Julian Sayin is out indefinitely, and Ohio State is now preparing to move forward without its starting quarterback. On this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr react to Ryan Day’s comments following Tuesday’s practice and discuss what comes next for the Buckeyes at quarterback. Ryan Day did not put a timetable on Sayin’s return and said Ohio State has a plan in place if it has to play the rest of the regular season — or even the rest of the season — without him. Tony and Tom discuss why that makes Luke Fahey the likely favorite to start against USC, how Tavien St. Clair can still make this a real competition, and how Ohio State should balance developing both quarterbacks while still trying to win immediately. 0:00 — Julian Sayin is out indefinitely 1:09 — Should Ohio State expect Sayin back this season? 1:59 — Luke Fahey vs. Tavien St. Clair begins 2:39 — Why Luke Fahey appears to have the edge 4:23 — Could St. Clair’s upside change the decision? 4:44 — How should Ohio State split the quarterback reps? 5:37 — Winning now has to remain the priority 7:21 — How many first-team reps should Fahey get? 8:24 — Building chemistry with Jeremiah Smith 9:30 — How much can Ohio State simplify the offense? 10:08 — Is Justyn Martin part of the quarterback conversation? 11:00 — Final thoughts on Ohio State’s quarterback situation Day said Fahey and St. Clair will compete, but also repeatedly noted that Fahey has been ahead in the pecking order. That makes Fahey the logical favorite entering the off week, while St. Clair now gets his best opportunity yet to make a push for the job. Tony and Tom also discuss why every first-team practice rep matters so much now. With Fahey still inexperienced and having had limited work with the starters, Ohio State has to decide how much of the week it can realistically devote to an open competition before committing to the quarterback who gives the Buckeyes the best chance to beat USC. Subscribe to the Buckeye Insiders YouTube channel for more Ohio State football coverage, and join the conversation at BuckeyeInsiders.com.

The second half of the season will soon be here for the Buckeyes, and things are going to look different for them in the near future. With that in mind, in this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tom Orr and Tony Gerdeman share five Buckeyes who will decide how the rest of the season goes for Ohio State.

Ohio State survived a wild 19-15 win over Indiana, and on this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr go back through the game to find the things that stood out most on a second viewing. They take a closer look at Jay Timmons’ impact on the defense, the problems that surfaced when he left the field, Isaiah West’s growing role at running back, Ohio State’s struggles in heavy personnel near the goal line, Julian Sayin taking too many hits, Chris Henry Jr.’s continued emergence, and the officiating issues that affected both teams. They also revisit Indiana’s final play, the Nick Marsh catch that came inches from changing the entire outcome, and what this game may tell us about both Ohio State and Indiana moving forward.    0:00 — Rewatching Ohio State’s wild win over Indiana 0:35 — How close Indiana came on the final play 2:35 — Could these teams meet again in Indianapolis? 4:10 — Ohio State’s defense looks different without Jay Timmons 6:12 — Jay Timmons’ remarkable day 6:57 — Should Legend Bey have gotten more opportunities? 8:36 — Isaiah West’s growing role at running back 10:24 — Ohio State’s inconsistent running game 10:55 — Why 14 personnel needs to go 13:10 — Does Ohio State really need to “punch it in”? 15:45 — Why spreading the field makes more sense 17:07 — Offensive line problems continue 19:01 — Was Julian Sayin already banged up? 21:00 — Chris Henry Jr. is starting to emerge 22:11 — Chris Henry Jr. climbing Ohio State freshman receiving lists 24:40 — The officiating was bad in both directions 26:37 — Ohio State has to overcome bad calls too 29:10 — Josh Hoover took a beating 29:56 — Indiana’s late mistakes and penalties 30:50 — Did the moment get too big for Indiana? 31:47 — The challenge of defending a national championship 32:54 — Final thoughts One of the clearest takeaways was just how important Timmons has become. He broke up passes, forced a turnover, tackled well in space, and handled difficult coverage assignments, while Ohio State’s secondary became much more vulnerable when he was unavailable.  On offense, Tony and Tom spend plenty of time questioning Ohio State’s insistence on using heavy personnel near the goal line, especially when it means taking Jeremiah Smith off the field. The fourth-down touchdown showed exactly how much defensive attention Smith commands even when he doesn’t touch the ball. They also discuss the beating Julian Sayin has taken in recent weeks and why the offensive line’s protection issues are becoming impossible to ignore. Subscribe to the Buckeye Insiders YouTube channel for more Ohio State football coverage, and join the conversation at BuckeyeInsiders.com.

Michigan got a win over Penn State on Saturday, but more than that, they may have moved on from quarterback Bryce Underwood. In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, BuckeyeInsiders.com's Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr recap what they saw from the Wolverines, how new quarterback Tommy Carr might or might not change things, strengths and weaknesses on the defense, and more.

What is the latest with the Ohio State quarterback situation?  In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss the injury to Julian Sayin and what the Buckeyes will do now that he is sidelined. Is freshman Luke Fahey the guy to lead Ohio State forward? What has he done to win the job? What does this mean for his reps moving forward? Can Tavien St. Clair make a push? Could he see playing time soon as well? Where is Justyn Martin in all of this? The fellas discuss everything there is to discuss regarding the Buckeye quarterbacks.

There was a whole lot to talk about following Ohio State's 19-15 win, and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talked about a lot of it.  From the impact of a last-minute win over the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers, to the injury to Julian Sayin, and what it will mean to have true freshman Luke Fahey taking over as the starter, Day had a lot of fascinating things to say. In this special bonus episode, you'll hear directly from Day about that and more.

As part of the Buckeye Insiders' live postgame show, Juck Miletti takes over following the Buckeyes' press conference and shares his intial thoughts on Ohio State's 19-15 win at Indiana and what this means for the Buckeyes. He also answers questions from the livestream viewers.

In this instant reaction edition of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr share their thoughts following the Buckeyes' 19-15 win at Indiana.

No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana take part in the Big Ten's game of the year today. Before kickoff, however, BuckeyeInsiders.com's Juck Miletti and Tony Gerdeman break the game down from the Indiana press box. How will Ohio State's offense fare? Will Julian Sayin have time to throw the ball? Defensively, will the Buckeyes have learned their lessons from the loss at Texas? Is the Ohio State secondary ready for what they are about to see? The fellas cover all of this and more.

BuckeyeInsiders.com's Tom Orr, Juck Miletti, and Tony Gerdeman are live in Indiana on a Friday night talking Ohio State vs. Indiana. The fellas break the game down on both sides of the ball and answer a slew of questions from the livestream viewers.

Saturday's top-5 matchup between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana is expected to be extremely close, and could come down to just a handful of crucial little things, from the kicking game to whether the Buckeyes can protect Julian Sayin, to the way Indiana's defense disguises coverages, to just how well sophomore RB Bo Jackson can perform with veteran Ja'Kobi Jackson sidelined with an injury. But could the path to victory for Ohio State be as simple as "just throw it to Jeremiah Smith?" In this special bonus episode, you'll hear the answer to that and much more directly from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr talk about four things they think they know heading into Saturday game between Ohio State and Indiana. They discuss Jeremiah Smith and the passing game, Indiana's offensive struggles, and more.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tom Orr and Tony Gerdeman discuss what the Buckeyes will do without running back Ja'Kobi Jackson this week against Indiana. Is Bo Jackson ready for a heavier workload? What does this mean for Legend Bey? Is Isaiah West ready?